Kenny Smith Roasts Tom Thibodeau With Baseball Bar And Basketball Fans Love it

Kenny Smith lambasted Tom Thibodeau for only using short rotations as the Knicks rally from a 20-point deficit to win Game 3.

Kenny Smith Roasts Tom Thibodeau With Baseball Bar And Basketball Fans Love it

Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Smith (Instagram)

The New York Knicks survived their third 20-point deficit of this playoff run, winning Game 3 106-100. Karl-Anthony Towns came alive in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points and bringing the Knicks abreast. The team was down by 55-35 at one point in the second quarter, and all looked lost for Knicks fans. However, the team dug in as Tom Thibodeau made some necessary lineup changes and saw his team prosper.

Karl Anthony-Towns had only four points through three quarters and was in foul trouble alongside Jalen Brunson for most of the game. The 2015 #1 overall pick was probably not ready to hear more slander on his name, judging from his fourth quarter response. Towns found it prudent to keep going to the cup on every offensive possession, duly testing Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Towns finished 8-17 from the field.

The Knicks entered the game with a lot of question marks about their tactical and strategic flexibility. Tom Thibodeau had been roundly criticized for using Josh Hart as the start in place of Mitchell Robinson. While Josh Hart has had a good playoff run, neither he nor Mikal Bridges have provided the necessary offense for the Knicks. The team would definitely have to rely on the likes of Miles McBride to score more.

Thibs’ tactical inflexibility and rigidity in sticking to short rotations was a point of discussion on Inside the NBA pre-game. Kenny Smith was particularly harsh on Tom Thibodeau, lamenting his inflexibility and predictability. The two-time NBA champion was short of patience with the Knicks’ head coach. Ahead of Game 3, Smith dropped a one-liner that would ring true and sting Knicks fans to no end.

They’re very fortunate to go on that 5-0 run. The other thing you know is that Thibodeau wouldn’t play nine guys in a baseball game.

Knicks fans agreed with the sentiment of Kenny Smith’s take. Thibodeau has always been renowned for overusing his starters, both in the playoffs and during the regular season.

The Pacers bench proceeded to outscore the Knicks bench for the third straight game. However, the 27-20 bench points margin meant that the Knicks starters were able to display their superiority better. Miles McBride, Delon Wright and Landry Shamet did some good work for the Knicks off the bench in this game. It remains to be seen how much Tom Thibodeau plays these guys in the games to come this series.

Tom Thibodeau is dealing with a mismatch problem

One of the reasons that many NBA analysts were down on the Knicks’ championship contention this season is the nature of their stars’ play. Karl-Anthony Towns is the greatest big man shooter ever, and Jalen Brunson is a top-3 heliocentric NBA player today. However, neither of these players is a good defensive asset. Both of them project as one-way players, leaving their teammates to pick up the slack.

On offense, the team relies heavily on the KAT-Brunson pick-and-roll to work for the supporting cast to get good shots. Without these two main men consistently scoring, the team depends way more on offensive rebounding from Mitchell Robinson than is sustainable. Robinson would be knackered by the end of the playoff run by the amount of offense he’s had to generate.

The Pacers, by contrast, have more of an offense-by-committee approach. They allow the likes of Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam, TJ McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin to run the offense. They also empower their bench players to look for their shots rather than playing it safe for their stars. This strategy seems to be a lot more viable for a team looking to be a serious contender.

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