The New York Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Coach Tom Thibodeau had been forced to make improvised rotations as his team succumbed to numerous injuries. His minutes management once again came under the spotlight, as he chose to stick to a rotation of seven players, all receiving significant playing time during the postseason.
During a recent episode of “The Roommates” podcast, Brunson revealed that the narrative of New York running out of energy is something that bothers him.
“The thing I hated the most, even though we were playing well… Every time we lost, everyone would say, ‘They’re tired’ or ‘They’re injured’… that p—– turned me off.” Brunson said. “We had a chance to win that series and we didn’t. We had a chance to go up 3-0 and we didn’t… That’s not why we lost… I hate that narrative.”
Brunson isn’t the first player to defend Thibodeau this season. Several members of the Knicks roster spoke out after he was voted the coach players least wanted to play for earlier in the year. Thibodeau may be tough, but he empowers his players and helps them develop their game and put them in winning situations.
However, it’s clear that the Knicks were out of gas by the end of the playoffs. Not because Thibodeau knocked them down, but because there were too many injured players.
As such, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the front office focus on adding additional depth to the roster over the summer. After all, next season could be the year New York makes a push for the NBA Finals.