It was the perfect birthday present for Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau is a proud New Englander, born in New Britain, Conn, a lover of the Patriots who rooted for the Knicks in his early childhood before turning green.
When he turns 63, Thibodeau does not get a big Tom Brady birthday cake, but he celebrates it back to New England to destroy the Celtics with defense Sunday afternoon 105-75.
This 30-yard massacre in Boston in the midfield lost an end to his club’s five game loss, when his Knicks were a perfect game against the Celtics in the fan-free TD Garden.
The ever-intensive first-year Knicks head coach even snapped a few smiles at Zoom in the post-match interview.
“You know I’m never happy,” Thibodeau said. “I’m not happy unless I’m miserable.”
It was an exciting afternoon in Beantown – the best so far of his short tenure. The last time the Knicks beat Boston by at least 30 points was in 1997 and Thibs was a young Knicks assistant.
“I actually grew up a Knick fan – my dad was a Knick fan,” Thibodeau added. ‘When I went to school in Boston [Salem State], it was in the mid 80’s, so I became a Celtic fan. The irony of it all is that I ended up working for both teams. Growing up in Connecticut, it does not get much better than that. Rejoicing to be part of two storey organizations. ”
The Celtics’ leading Celtics have missed superstar Jayson Tatum, and three games were postponed last week due to COVID-19.
But the Celtics still took the Knicks lightly and they paid. Great time. They were wondering if Brady, still an obsession in New England, would get Tampa Bay later in the NFC Championship.
The Knicks did not play badly in their heartbreaking loss to Cleveland on Friday and vented their frustration on the Celtics.
“I told our players this: the way they train, the attitude, the approach and the way they train, was positive,” said Thibodeau. “I thought I was going to Cleveland, I thought we were ready to play. I thought we were great in the playoffs and we played well enough to win [Friday] on the road. We did not end the match as we wanted. Dan [Saturday] in practice I thought terribly. As long as we do the right things. I know we will improve and we will continue to improve. ”
Just such a promising day for the Knicks (6-8), it’s just as good for the Brooklyn Dream Team. If the Celtics are their biggest roadblock to the NBA Finals, you can book the trip of Kevin Durant and James Harden to Los Angeles this summer.
The Knicks veterans and their two rookies, point guard Immanuel Quickley and forward Obi Toppin, played to their first round, which combined for 29 points on 12 of 20 shots.
“If we keep playing like today, we will win a lot of games,” said Toppin, who eventually looked like a lottery by scoring 12 points and scoring 2 of 4 3-pointers.
Thibodeau’s club plagued the gloomy Celtics in one of their worst performances in their history – 7 of 46 (15.2 percent) from the three-point line. The Celtics could not have beaten water if they had thrown tea in Boston Harbor.
“Defense leads to offense,” Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said. “The communication was there.”
Robinson took part in the game with a bruised heel and took a nasty fall in the first half after shooting a 3-point shot. He hurt his knee, but on a soccer Sunday he sank like a pigskin fighter, still an active thinner, through the day.
Meanwhile, Quickley delivers his usual push and gets the disappointing Toppin going early with a wide-open lobe.
Thibodeau stood his ground to keep Quickley off the bench so swiftly and Elfrid Patyon as an appetizer. He was rewarded. There is plenty of time to change. Once he does, he can ‘t go back, or he’s David Fizdale.
Thereafter, Thibodeau addressed the Quickley issue that gripped social media enthusiasts. The Payton defense is best used to set an early tone, Thibodeau said, and the Knicks crushed the Celtics from the opening tap. The Knicks coach said he would like to see Payton-Quickley as a couple.
“I love both guys – they are different and bring different things to the team,” said Thibodeau. “It gives us great flexibility. Elfrid, if you look at his defense and size, many of these guards, especially point guards in the NBA, are a burden to handle. Elfrid has a good understanding of how they can defend it. He can play-make for us. And when Quickley comes in, he gives us a different look. ‘
Of course, it’s easier to win in this famous hall minus the rough crowd in Boston. TD Garden is the loudest building in the Oriental conference. The Knicks made it as quiet as the Sunday Church.
Now it goes from Thibodeau’s birthday in Boston to the celebration of Martin Luther King’s Day in the garden. On Sunday, the court will have more meaning if the Knicks are just as triumphant on MLK Day against Orlando.