The New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 119-81 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
It was a historic day for the Knicks as they finally reached the Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
The achievement was made easier by Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury, but it still deserves to be applauded all the same.
Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and several Knicks players’ reputations have been boosted with their performances in the series.
However, head coach Tom Thibodeau has actually come under heavy criticism for one particular decision in Game 6.
Most people consider Thibodeau a good NBA head coach, but he’s also well-known for one unpopular trait.
While most coaches sub out their starters in blowout games, Thibodeau always keeps his players in until the result is virtually confirmed.
This annoys NBA fans because it puts the key players at unnecessary risk of injury, and arguably led to Derrick Rose’s ACL injury.
“Tom Thibodeau honestly is an idiot,” one wrote. “You’d think he’d learn his lesson about keeping his players in too long after Derrick Rose, but he keeps doing this. Regardless of whether they go to the finals, he needs to be let go.”
“Tom Thibodeau is currently showing why he’s a bad coach,” another said. “Knicks up 40 with 9 to go in the 4th, and his starters are on the floor. This man ruined Derrick Rose’s career and will do it to this whole roster. The guy is a legit meathead.”
“Thibodeau, please take the starters out. No need to risk injuries. Learn from your f—— mistakes,” an angry Knicks fan tweeted.
“Gotta turn the game off. Thibs playing the guys right now is giving me flashbacks [to Derrick Rose],” commented a Chicago Bulls fan.
“Tom Thibodeau leaving the starters in up 30+ halfway through the fourth quarter is diabolically petty,” one added.
The New York Knicks’ starting lineup is probably better than their Eastern Conference Finals opponents, the Indiana Pacers.
What New York definitely doesn’t have in their favor is bench depth. Thibodeau only trusts Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and, to a lesser extent, Precious Achiuwa.
The Knicks’ bench only scored 21.7 points per game in the regular season, compared to 39.8 points for the Pacers.
Indeed, Rick Carlisle has an entire bench unit to count on: T.J. McConnell, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, and Thomas Bryant.
This clearly puts them at an advantage over the Knicks, whose starters will need to do almost all of the damage to win the series.
