Tom Thibodeau had a firsthand memory when he was asked Friday if he agreed with Hawks trainer Nate McMillan’s assessment earlier this week that the NBA « wants and needs » the curtsey in the playoffs.
“I often know that people think that. I’ve been here, I’ve been part of the Knicks before, I’ve been an opposing coach, I’ve been to various organizations. The league will do what is best for the league, ”said Thibodeau. « You can say that, but [in] 96-97 … we had [five] guys who were suspended [in a playoff series against Miami].
» We had Patrick Ewing one step off the bench taken, it wiped him out and that was probably our chance for a championship. I don’t think the league prefers us. I think the playoffs increase everything. You keep fighting the same opponent. We just want to focus on what we have to do for the first game. ”
Thibodeau was referring to a brawl in Game 5 against the Heat in the second round of the 1997 playoffs, a series in which the Knicks took a 3-1 lead and in Lost seven games.
McMillan has been fined $ 25,000 for « harmful public comments biasing the NBA » despite insisting on Friday that he did not intend « any sort of Bias about the league and ours imminent n propose the playoff series « .
Thibodeau and the coaching team gave the Knicks two books with detailed information on scouting and game planning to study at home. There was a week off between games leading up to the playoffs on Sunday.
« It’s kind of funny, me and Obi [Toppin] were like it kind of reminds us of school, » said rookie Immanuel Quickley. “The other day we came into small groups and it was almost like having classes. So we joked that it was like school again. “
Derrick Rose has already made the playoffs four times when he was coached by Thibodeau with Chicago and Minnesota and joked, » It’s still the same with Thibs. «
» The only thing that has changed has is the game book, « added Rose. « The books we get for the playoffs don’t look like Bibles anymore. They look like normal school books. We used to have folders full of pieces when we were in Chicago. But this year he gave us two books, one in more detail than the other. “
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