The New York Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games, which officially ended their season on Saturday night. While plenty of good can be taken from this season for the Knicks – as they made their first Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter century – the drama that has since leaked in the aftermath of Game 6 is a bad look for head coach Tom Thibodeau, who most definitely did not have his team under control.
Thibs is a man stuck in his ways. He plays a short bench, and asks a lot of his players. However, when those players aren't performing up to a certain standard, he often misses the mark. That was on fully display in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers, when Karl-Anthony Towns teammates apparently were frustrated with his defensive effort.
"Publicly, Knicks players made veiled comments all season about poor communication causing their inconsistencies," James Edwards and Fred Katz of The Athletic wrote. "Behind the scenes, they and coaches expressed frustration with Towns’ defensive habits — less concerned with his talent level and more with his process on that end. Too often, Towns executed incorrect coverages without communicating why he did it. After it became a theme, players worried Towns didn’t grasp the importance of the matter."
Knicks frustration came out in more ways than one this postseason
Expressing frustration is one thing. Fixing the issue is another entirely, and none of Thibs' adjustments seemed to work in the ECF against Indiana, which targeted both KAT and Jalen Brunson defensively. While KAT's defense was hardly the only reason the Knicks lost to the Pacers – much of that can be blamed on late-game execution, especially in Game 1 – it is a looming problem they will have to fix in the offseason.
While drama like this typically leaks right after a team is knocked out of the postseason – that is nothing new – the sheer amount of soap opera-like spectacles disclosed after what should've been deemed a successful Knicks season is alarming. The team reportedly had a number of players-only meetings to discuss their issues during the campaign, as well. Those didn't help New York reach their ultimate goal.
"New York organized multiple players-only meetings after embarrassing defeats throughout this postseason run, all with various degrees of intensity, per league sources," Edwards' report read. "It's not uncommon for teams to hold meetings without coaches, but it is rare for squads that went as far as the Knicks did to do it as often as they did during the playoffs, and for the kick-in-the-behind reasons they occasionally deemed necessary."
Tom Thibodeau's leadership was lacking for Knicks
The amount of tea spilled from the Knicks in less than 24 hours after an Eastern Conference Finals loss is concerning for this team moving forward. It also says a lot about Thibs, who is schematically one of the best defensive minds in the NBA.
By no means should the Knicks move on from Thibs or KAT, as these belmishes are fixable. That being said, the Knicks have a complicated offseason ahead, which most did not see coming given New York was the toast of the NBA just a week ago.