Tom Thibdodeau is not the type to hide behind injuries. All year long, depending on his players' trips to the infirmary, the Knicks coach repeated his mantra, “Next Man Up”, namely that the next player had to take over when the player in front in the rotation was falling.
The problem at the end of the series against the Pacers was that there was no one left to take over…
“I think the guys gave everything they had, and that’s all you can ask for.”, reacted the coach after the defeat in Game 7. “It was a battle all year long, and there was nothing left to give. »
It must be said that after losing Julius Randle during the season, then Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic, the Knicks saw Jalen Brunson break his hand in the third quarter of Game 7, while OG Anunoby was unable to only held his place for a few minutes, and Josh Hart did what he could while being diminished.
A system and principles
“I don't want to discredit what they did at all, but even with everything that happened, it was an 11 or 12 point game with 5 or 6 minutes to go.”explains Donte DiVincenzo, author of 39 points to give New York hope in this Game 7. “That's our mindset as an organization: We have a system and fundamentals that, if you believe in them, you have a chance in every game. »
These Knicks also pleased their fans, and their ” Fundamental principles “ should allow them to aim very high next year, with the returns of Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson in Tom Thibodeau's rotation.
” I think that [l’avenir] is very promising and there is hope”concluded Josh Hart. “The offseason is a business and there are decisions to be made. Some players will arrive and others will leave. But we have built the foundation of a franchise that is fighting and moving in the right direction. “It’s tough to end like this, but we’re going in the right direction and we’re giving this city and the fans hope.”
