Tom Thibodeau praised the Philadelphia Seventhers players for his efforts in losing to the New York Knicks.
Thibodeau’s New York Knicks team played a solid game from start to finish, which gave them a 105-91 victory.
Leading by OG Anunoby, who scored 27 points and added 20 points from the bench, Landry Shamet has proven the Knicks too good for the 76ers, who have already been eliminated from the playoff race.
The 76ers, who play without Starr Joel Embiid, Paul George and Ty Maxey, seem to be playing just for that reason.
Their only bright spark was Quentin Grimes, stepping up again with 26 points and three steels in the evening.
Knowing the Grimes well from player time, Thibodeau acknowledged his performance along with the Knicks and gave him appreciation.
Grimes’ career isn’t going as much as he expected when he first came to the league.
He was a Knicks rookie and showed great promises to the side, but it was indeed inconsistent.
In 2024 he was traded for the Detroit Pistons, but the spell didn’t last very long as it moved to the Dallas Mavericks before eventually settling in Philadelphia.
Speaking about Grimes at a postgame press conference, Thibodeau said:
“He has a lot to deal with.”
The Knicks coach also praised the 76ers’ efforts, saying the team needs to be given credibility as they were injured during the season.
“They are young and athletic, they always play hard and give those people a lot of credibility.
“They’ve been destroyed by injuries all year round. They’re a hard playing team,” Thibodeau said.
Many questions have been raised about Thibodeau passing more minutes than this season.
Despite all that chatter, the Knicks can remain third in the East for most of the season, appearing to be nothing more than finishing behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
The playoffs were approaching and they were hoping Jalen Brunson would return soon, so the Knicks hope they can make a deep playoff.
Last season they crashed in the second round with the Indiana Pacers, but that happened due to injuries their team suffered.
This time, Thibodeau’s team looks solid and they struggle with team contests, but things like Mikal Bridges, Branson, Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson are players who can be promoted in the postseason.
Thibodeau has been a coach twice this year and has been part of a great team, but the roster with the Knicks seems to be the best he’s ever had.
He wants to do something special with it. The championship will be difficult to achieve, but if all the stars fit and do their best, the Knicks can do it.