The New York Knicks suffered a brutal 133-123 loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. However, what was even more concerning than the loss was an injury to the best player on the Knicks team, Jalen Brunson. The 27-year-old stepped back on his left foot and inadvertently landed on Payton Pritchard’s foot while trying to receive the ball from Julius Randle. Brunson is one of the most crucial players on the team, and his absence could prove costly to the seventh-seeded Knicks.
It seemed inevitable that an accident would occur, given Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s tendency to push his starters well into garbage time. However, despite his apparent fault, Tom appeared to have no remorse for his actions, which could have easily ended in a more severe outcome. His lack of remorse and indifferent demeanor towards Brunson’s injury has driven Knicks fans into a fit of rage.
Tom Thibodeau shows no remorse for his actions
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The Knicks were trailing by 12 points with 20 seconds left on the clock and no hope of a comeback. Despite the impossible situation the team was in, Thibodeau did not sub Brunson until he was injured and had to limp to the locker room. Unfortunately, the Knicks HC has a habit of keeping his starters despite the gap in scores. The former Villanova star finished the game with 23 points, one rebound, and four assists before making his way to the locker room.
Tom Thibodeau stated that he does not regret his decision to keep Jalen Brunson and the other starters in the game, despite being down by 12 points with only 20 seconds remaining, per @SbondyNBA
Brunson injured his ankle after the Celtics had already cleared most of their bench… pic.twitter.com/HkHU1IGO5C
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 9, 2023
Following the loss, when Tom Thibodeau was asked whether he regretted his decision to keep Brunson in the game, he told the reporters, “Nope.” As for any further information on Brunson’s status, he said, “I haven’t talked to the trainers yet.” His apparent lack of regret for his actions that could potentially prove detrimental to the team has sparked a wave of anger among the Knicks fans.
The Knicks fans unleash their anger
The Knicks fans stormed social media, expressing their discontent with Tom’s treatment of Jalen’s injury. Some fans pointed out how this is not new for Tom, as they’ve witnessed it before with Derrick Rose. During the 2012 NBA Playoffs, Rose sustained a career-altering ACL injury with only a minute and a half left in the game while the Bulls had a commanding 99-87 lead.
He’s known for this. He screwed Rose career up too
— RJ Trader (@rj_trading1) December 9, 2023
One fan stated that he should be fired for his irresponsible act.
He should be sacked for this irresponsible behaviour
— Divvy.Bet (@DivvyBet) December 9, 2023
Another user called out Thibs’ tendency to overwork his star players till the end, even in hopeless situations.
I mean Thibs don’t care about players health. If you a star you playing we all knew this information https://t.co/RX2W9wQ2AA
— Keenan (@ImSoColeman) December 9, 2023
One user alluded to his history of repeating the same behavior despite severe consequences.
How many times does this have to happen for him to change https://t.co/nnmFuo1XBq
— 🪬🕸️ (@CookedByScott) December 9, 2023
One user pointed out how many players have suffered a premature end to their careers because of Thibs’ habit of making them overwork.
All the Bulls players that played under Thibs, with the exception of Jimmy Butler, had shortened injury prone careers thanks to Thibodeau, the Knicks should have fired this jabroni years ago https://t.co/VrzARYFG7k
— Wong Kar-Kawhi (@HuskerDrew_) December 9, 2023
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Another fan called for stricter measures for coaches putting a player’s career at risk.
there has to be some sort of penalty for this as a coach bro protect the players https://t.co/Nzq9VtGxmJ
— jerm❤️🔥 (@brjerm) December 9, 2023
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What are your thoughts on this fiasco? Was Tom Thibodeau in the wrong? Let us know in the comments!
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