Tom Thibodeau scored his first win as Knicks head coach. Forward Obi Toppin scored his first points as a Knicks rookie.
Each of them debuted in the Knicks’ first preseason win, 90-84, over the Pistons at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
The entire Knicks franchise was benched for exactly nine months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the comeback was almost worth the wait as Thibodeau’s new defense was disruptive and Toppin was dynamic, especially in the first half.