Who had Tom Thibodeau out-coaching Boston Celtics head honcho Joe Mazzulla on their NBA playoffs bingo card? Because it's happening.
One sequence near the end of the New York Knicks 91-90 Game 2 victory is a perfect encapsulation of why, and how. And surprise, surprise: It involves Mitchell Robinson, the Celtics' Maul-A-Mitch strategy, personal-foul gaming, restraint, and overall ingenuity.
Thibs forced the Celtics into the penalty down the stretch
With 2:43 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Knicks down four, after trailing by as many as 20 overall and 18 in the final frame, Robinson snared an offensive rebound off a missed shot by Jalen Brunson. He was immediately fouled by Derrick White.
At the time, many were clamoring for Thibodeau to insert OG Anunoby, who was then on the bench. He didn't. New York then inbounded the ball to Robinson. He was promptly fouled again, this time by Jayson Tatum.
Anunoby had made his way to the scorer's table by this point. Still, though, Thibs didn't insert him into the game. The Knicks inbounded from the sideline, again. And the pass went to Robinson, again. And then the Celtics fouled him, again. Al Horford delivered the contact this time, and it was then, after Boston burned its fifth team foul and entered the penalty, that Thibs subbed out Robinson for Anunoby.
This was a stroke of brilliance by the Knicks' oft-maligned head honcho. The Celtics would not have readily entered the penalty without Robinson, who was 3-of-10 from the charity stripe in Game 1 and 0-of-1 in Game 2, still on the floor.
Now, New York only made two more trips to the charity stripe down the stretch. But free-throw opportunities aren't the point. Boston was put in a situation where it needed to second-guess everything about its defense. That's the point.
You can only be so aggressive on Brunson, and on Karl-Anthony Towns, if you're in the penalty. It makes seeking out specific switches more worthwhile for the Knicks, and the prospect of sending two to the ball riskier for the Celtics. (Boston doesn't usually do the latter, but it has relented for dribs and drabs in the past, including during the fourth quarter of Game 1.)
To what extent it made a difference is debatable. KAT was fouled on an offensive rebound after the OG-for-Mitch substitution, but it was on a shooting attempt, which he converted. He always would have wound up on the foul line.
Can the same be said for Jrue Holiday's foul on Brunson with 12.7 seconds remaining, which put The Captain at the stripe to take a one-point lead? Debatable again. That would have been Boston's first foul in the final two minutes, but Brunson appeared to be going into his shooting motion.
Thibs' decision to leave Mitch on the floor removed any question. Brunson might have gone to the foul line. Because of Thibs' approach at the 2:43 mark, there was no room for might. That makes a world of difference.
Thibodeau is coaching a great series against the Celtics
This one wrinkle is merely a microcosm of Thibs' decision-making in the series so far. With his job most likely on the line, he is digging deep into his bag, adjusting and experimenting in ways most believed he never would—or could.
New York has switched on defense this series probably more than at any other point in the Thibs era. Boston is doing its part by laying enough bricks on wide-open threes to recreate the Empire State Building, but the move is working.
After a no-show offensive performance from KAT in Game 1, there was a clear focus in Game 2 to get him involved early. Thibs has not shied away from using Robinson despite the Maul-A-Mitch complications. This paid off in Game 2, as well. Robinson was a team-best plus-19 during his minutes...in a game the Knicks won by a single point.
Meanwhile, during the fourth quarter, Thibs went to a lineup that included neither Brunson nor Towns, and ran everything through the ice-cold Mikal Bridges. It worked. New York cut further into the Celtics' lead, and Bridges finished with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in the final frame.
Nobody deserves more credit for completing two consecutive historic comebacks than the players themselves. There is also plenty of basketball left to go before declaring this series a success. Right now, though, Thibodeau is doing his best work since (re)joining the franchise in 2020. And the Knicks are in prime position to pull off an upset nobody dared to predict because of it.
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.