Tom Thibodeau and his New York Knicks are headed to Philadelphia for Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the 76ers on Thursday night.
New York would have preferred to skip this trip. Unfortunately, Tuesday gave the 76ers a late-game lead in a close-at-home scenario. The Knicks found themselves up six late, only to see Tyrese Maxey force overtime. Philadelphia then stunned the home crowd at Madison Square Garden by winning in overtime.
The Knicks finished last regular season with 50 wins and as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. They have been a team on the rise under Thibs since he took over as head coach in 2020-21.
However, there are some renewed questions about the veteran coach and his role on the Knicks, who have failed to land a superstar in recent summers.
A recent player survey conducted by The Athletic indicated that Thibodeau is the coach players would least like to play for. He arrived with 46% of the votes. Doc Rivers of the Milwaukee Bucks finished second (9.1%).