It was the perfect birthday present for Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau is a proud New Englander, born in New Britain, Conn, a diehard Patriots fan who rooted for the Knicks early in his youth before going green.
When he turned 63, Thibodeau did not get a big Tom Brady birthday cake, but celebrated it by returning to New England to destroy the Celtics with Sunday afternoon defense, 105-75.
This 30 point carnage in Boston ended his club’s five-game lost streak when his Knicks threw a perfect game to the Celtics in the fan-free TD Garden.
The ever-intense freshman Knicks head coach even smiled at Zoom a few times in the post-game interview.
“You know I’m never happy,” said Thibodeau – with a grin. “I’m not happy unless I’m miserable.”
This was an exciting afternoon in Beantown – the best of his brief tenure yet. The last time the Knicks hit Boston by at least 30 points was 1997, and Thibs was a young Knicks assistant.
“I actually grew up a Knick fan – my dad was a Knick fan,” added Thibodeau. “When I went to school in Boston [Salem State], it was the mid 80’s, so I became a Celtic fan. The irony of all this is that I started working for both teams. Growing up in Connecticut it doesn’t get much better than that. I love being part of two legendary organizations. “
Admittedly, the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics missed superstar Jayson Tatum and had been postponed three games last week due to COVID-19.
But the Celtics still took the Knicks lightly and paid. Big time. They played as if their thoughts were on whether Brady, still a New England obsession, would bring Tampa Bay to the NFC Championship game later Sunday.
The Knicks did not play badly on Friday in their heartbreaking loss in Cleveland and took their frustration out on the Celtics.
“I told our players this: the way they practice, the attitude, the approach and the way they practice has been positive,” said Thibodeau. “I thought I was going to Cleveland, I thought we were ready to go. I thought we were great in the shootaround and we played well enough to win [Friday] on the road. We did not close the game as we would have liked. Thereafter [Saturday] in practice I loved it. As long as we do the right things. I know we will improve and we will keep getting better. “
This was a promising day for the Knicks (6-8), but just as good for the Brooklyn Dream Team. If the Celtics are their biggest roadblock to the NBA Finals, you can book Kevin Durant and James Harden’s trip to Los Angeles this summer.
The Knicks veterans and their two rookies, point guard Immanuel Quickley and forward Obi Toppin, played stock for their first round, combining 29 points from 12 of 20 shootings.
“If we keep playing like we did today, we’re going to win a lot of games,” said Toppin, who ended up looking like a lottery hack by scoring 12 points and hitting 2 of the 4 3-pinters.
Thibodeau’s club pestered the somnambulant Celtics into one of their worst outdoor shots in their storied history – 7 out of 46 (15.2 percent) from the 3-point line. The Celtics couldn’t have hit water had they thrown tea into Boston Harbor.
“Defense leads to insult,” said Mitchell Robinson, Knicks center, who boomed despite the bumpy. “The communication was there.”
Robinson entered the game with a bruised heel and suffered a nasty spill in the first half after blocking a 3-point shot. He hurt his knee, but limped through the day on a football Sunday like a pigskin warrior, still an active dunk machine.
In the meantime, Quickley delivered his usual shock and got the disappointing Toppin up early with a lob from alley-oop.
Thibodeau has held on by keeping Quickley as lightning off the bench and Elfrid Patyon as starter. He was rewarded. There is plenty of time to change. Once he does, he can’t go back or he’s David Fizdale.
After that, Thibodeau addressed the Quickley problem that has gripped social media enthusiasts. Payton’s defense is best used to set a tone early, Thibodeau said, and the Knicks knocked the Celtics out of the opening tap. The Knicks coach said he would like to see Payton-Quickley as a pair on the road.
“I like 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, a lot of these guards, especially point guards. in the NBA today, are a burden to deal with. Elfrid understands well how to defend them. He can play for us. And when Quickley comes in, he looks at us differently. “
Of course, it’s easier to win in this famous venue without the rowdy Boston crowd. TD Garden is the noisiest building in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks made it as quiet as Sunday church.
Now it goes from Thibodeau’s birthday in Boston to the celebration of Martin Luther King Day in the Garden. Sunday will take on more meaning on the field as the Knicks are just as triumphant on MLK day against Orlando.