Jalen Brunson flips Thibodeau narrative after clutch Game 3 Knicks burst

New York Knicks fans have said it and heard it the past five years -- Tom Thibodeau "runs" his starters into the ground. That narrative was prevalent last season when the injuries started and continued to pile up for the Knicks, although none of them were directly attributed to Thibodeau.

The front office traded for a dream Thibodeau player over the offseason. Mikal Bridges was drafted in 2018, and he's yet to miss a game. He played in a few seconds of the Knicks' regular-season finale over the Nets on April 13, simply so he could continue the streak.

Bridges didn't lead the league in minutes played per game during the regular season, but he was at the top of the list. Technically, Tyrese Maxey led the league with an average of 37.7 minutes per game, but he played only 52 games. Josh Hart (37.7 minutes in 77 games), Devin Booker (37.3 minutes in 75 games), Bridges (37 minutes in 82 games), and Nikola Jokic (36.7 minutes in 70 games) rounded out the top five.

OG Anunoby (36.6 minutes in 74 games) was the third Knicks player in the top 10 at six. Jalen Brunson, who missed a month with an ankle injury, averaged 35.4 minutes in 65 games, tied for 17th. Karl-Anthony Towns averaged the lowest number of minutes per game for New York's starters, with 35 minutes in 72 games, tied for 23rd.

Jalen Brunson jokingly credits Tom Thibodeau after Knicks' Game 3 win

Thibodeau does rely on his starters too much, but the narrative about him running them into the ground is overblown. No, he doesn't make his players run sprints nonstop in practice, either. Hart is one of several current or former Knicks players who have defended Thibodeau, and he's cracked jokes about the minutes police, too.

Brunson took a page out of Hart's book and joked about Thibodeau playing his starters heavy minutes after New York's Game 3 win over Detroit on Thursday. The star guard was asked why he didn't look gassed at the end of the game, while other players on the floor did. Brunson credited Thibodeau for all of the minutes he played during the regular season, saying it helped him get in shape for the postseason.

Brunson said it with a straight face (he's good at doing that), but that was him having a little fun. His speed and shiftiness are part of what makes it so hard to guard him. Those skills were on full display down the stretch for the NBA Clutch Player of the Year.

Perhaps the two full days New York had off between Games 2 and 3 had something to do with Brunson not losing a step on Thursday. The Knicks will have two more full days off before they play Game 4 on Sunday. Beating the Pistons twice on the road in that kind of environment won't be easy, but hey, at least the starters have the advantage of averaging 48 minutes a game during the regular season.