Compared to his usual standards, New York Knicks head honcho Tom Thibodeau is coaching one heck of a series against the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Yet, even as he provides glimpses of flexibility and growth, he also keeps reminding the New York Knicks and their fans that he won't ever truly change.
New York's Game 3 beatdown at the hands of the reigning champs is just the latest in a long line of typical—or should we say, Thibsical—reminders that the veteran sideline-wanderer is forever married to his functional tenets and overall beliefs.
To be sure, Thibodeau is not the reason these Knicks had their butts kicked, losing 115-93 while getting outscored by 45 points from beyond the arc. But the going got rough in part because of him. And when they were in the thick of that rough, he didn't pull the right strings early enough to turn the tables. He didn't even capitalize on the opportunity laid at his feet once the game was long past out of reach.
And frankly, nobody should be surprised anymore.
The Knicks are still coached by the same old Thibodeau
Thibodeau has received a lot of credit for reworking the Knicks' defense against the Celtics. Rightfully so, too. They have often deviated from their core principles, and embraced more of a switching approach. When they have descended into scramble mode, they seem more communicative, precise, and less prone to disaster.
That is, until Game 3.
New York's first half defense was a total disaster. It wasn't nearly as aggressive or in sync, and the Knicks allowed the Celtics to post a 157.8 offensive rating through those initial two quarters. (For reference: The league average offensive rating in these playoffs is 114.5.)
There is only so much you can do when Boston shoots 12-of-19 from deep (63.2 percent), but Jayson Tatum was walking into wide-open bunnies, and New York's rotations were leaving Payton Pritchard, a 40.7 percent marksman this season on high volume, completely unattended. Though things got a little better in the second half, and even if Karl-Anthony Towns going rogue is the root cause of the struggles, it took far too long for Thibs and company to adjust.
Anybody hoping they had seen the last of Precious Achiuwa-Josh Hart minutes was also sorely disappointed. With both Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns in foul trouble before the end of the first quarter, Thibs inserted Achiuwa for Robinson. It was a short stretch, lasting just under three minutes. But it was a golden opportunity to lean into five-out-or-close-to-it-spacing, at a time when the offense couldn't generate any sort of traction.
Skip ahead to the end of the game, and true to form, Thibs opted against waving the white flag until there was roughly three minutes remaining. Sure, the Knicks were working off consecutive 20-point comebacks in Games 1 and 2. But those miracles began in earnest with plenty of time left.
In Game 3, though, New York never trimmed the lead inside 20 points during the fourth quarter. Sometimes, you just have to read the room. Exiting Saturday with both Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson logging more than 38 minutes is questionable judgement at best.
This is the Tom Thibodeau—for both better and worse
None of this is shocking. It is the Tom Thibodeau experience in a nutshell. Just when he pulls you back in, he casts you out to sea, entirely adrift, without any resources to survive. Invariably, of course, he will do something, anything, to then reel you closer toward land.
That is what makes the outcome of this series so interesting. There is a world in which the Knicks make the Eastern Conference Finals, or simply push the Celtics to seven games, and questions about his ability to nudge this team over the top will persist.
Even as New York cobbled together consecutive epic comebacks, both sides of the Thibs coin were completely visible. For starters, they fell behind by 20 points in the first place. And while the defense has started showing more innovation and better execution, the offense remains largely fragile, particularly when Jalen Brunson isn't donning his superhero cape.
The Knicks rank 13th in points scored per 100 possessions among the 16 teams to crack the postseason. To their credit, they have faced two ferociously effective defenses. But that doesn't change the lack of consistent counters, or quarters- and games-long disappearing acts from Bridges and Towns.
Whether the brunt of New York's inconsistencies fall on Thibs, the roster or those who assembled it is a matter of debate, and definitely some contention. One thing, however, remains inarguable: Regardless of whether he's part of the problem or solution, both now and moving forward, Tom Thibodeau will never fully change.
Dan Favale is a Senior NBA Contributor for FanSided and National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.