Before the Knicks took the floor on Wednesday night for Game 2 in Boston, head coach Tom Thibodeau laid out part of his coaching philosophy and how that applies to winning games during the NBA Playoffs.
“Teamwork is what wins,” Thibodeau said. “It’s not the individual player as much as it is ‘how does the team function together’ and ‘how do they bring the best out of each other?’ And, when you think about the playoffs, the teams that are successful: It’s defense, it’s toughness, and it’s teamwork.
“You have to do this together. It’s very difficult to do individually.”
The Knicks spent the next 48 minutes of game time at the Boston Garden executing their coach’s plans to perfection, pulling out another stunning 20-point comeback for a 91-90 win to take a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics.
“Always have the belief in each other,” Thibodeau said after the win. “It’s about your mental toughness, defense, your teamwork, and always having the belief that you could do something better and find a way to win. It’s a long game, keep playing, and that’s what they did.”
On the final Celtics possession, he got all three. With Boston not using a timeout after Jalen Brunson’s second free throw put the Knicks ahead, the defense was switched on and ready for Jayson Tatum: Michell Robinson forced Tatum to his left, got help from OG Anunoby to turn the Celtics forward away from the hoop, and, with Tatum in the air, Mikal Bridges came off Jaylen Brown to snatch the ball to end the game.
“There was good team defense on that. There was a swarm,” the head coach said. “Tatum is so tough when gets any speed and he’s going downhill, so you need bodies in front of him. And then the pursuit from behind is also important.”
Of course, Thibodeau said nothing about offense in there as the Knicks struggled big time from the field, shooting 39 percent from the floor in the first half with Brunson going 3-for-10 and Bridges 0-for-6. Late in the game, it was another story as Bridges, who scored all 14 of his points in the final quarter, combined with Brunson to go 9-for-16 as the rest of the team was 3-for-8 in the fourth.
“We started slow, got in a big hole, dug our way out, and then guys made a lot of tough plays,” he said. “They were at their best when their best was needed down the stretch.”
On the defensive end they tigthened the screws, closing the game on a 38-17 run over the final 15 minutes of action. In the second half, the Knicks forced nine Celtics turnovers and held them to 15-for-44 shooting (34 percent), including 5-for-24 (21 percent) in the fourth.
“Our defense was outstanding and that’s what we need to do for the entire game,” Thibodeau said, before adding, in typical coaching style, “Now, we’re still really concerned about the rebounding. We have to fix that.”
New York was outrebounded 51 to 46, including 16-10 on offensive boards, leading them to be outscored 23-14 in second-chance points.
“We know we have to play for 48 minutes against them,” he added. “If you give them open shots, they’re gonna make them. If you give them a second crack at it, they’re gonna make you pay.”
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