New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was heavily criticized after his team’s 100-94 Game 2 loss to the Pistons on April 21.
Many fans and analysts alike blamed Thibodeau for not trusting in his second-unit players, a trend that persisted throughout the 2024-25 season. In the Game 2 loss to Detroit, Miles McBride was the only Knicks second-unit player to get on the scoresheet, adding eight points from 13 minutes off the bench.
In comparison, the Pistons got 35 points off the bench, including 20 from veteran guard Dennis Schroder.
ESPN analyst Marcus Morris explained why the Knicks were behind the eight ball due to their lack of bench scoring.
“These guys need more bench production,” Morris told ESPN’s “Get Up” on April 22. “They need more bench consistency. And quite frankly, Thibs needs to be more consistent with the other players.”
Knicks Blame Officials For Loss
Thibodeau was also criticized for making excuses for his team’s Game 2 loss, specifically his comments about the officiating in his post-game news conference.
The veteran head coach lamented that the Pistons got 15 more free throw attempts throughout the game, even though they committed only two more fouls (24 to 22).
“Obviously huge discrepancy in free throws,” Thibodeau said, via The Associated Press. “Huge. I’ve got to take a look at that.”
“I don’t understand how on one side you talk about direct line drives. The guy is getting fouled and it’s not being called,” Thibodeau added.
“And look, I don’t really give a crap how they call the game, as long as it’s consistent on both sides. So, if Cunningham is driving and there is marginal contact and he is getting to the line, then Jalen deserves to be getting to the line. It’s really that simple.”
Many analysts felt Thibs was out of line for questioning the officiating when his players couldn’t match the physicality or intensity level of the young Pistons.
Knicks In Trouble Ahead Of Game 3?
“Tom Thibodeau, if you didn’t know, the playoffs have started,” Kendrick Perkins said on “SC with SVP” on ESPN. “If you didn’t know, the Detroit Pistons are a physical team. This is how they play, so tell your team to get ready. Please, get ready.”
Despite losing home advantage, the Knicks are still favored to win the first-round series against the sixth-seeded Pistons. Per ESPNBet, they’re a -1.5 point favorite to win Game 3 on April 24 and still own the third-shortest odds (+1400) to win the conference.
Yet, former NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins feels the Knicks are in serious trouble of getting bounce out of the 2025 NBA playoffs imminently.
“The weakness for the Knicks is their toughness. The Pistons are taking full advantage of it,” Cousins told Fan Duel TV’s “Run it Back” on April 22. “This Pistons team reminds me of the grit-and-grind Memphis teams, where they may have nights when their offense isn’t clicking, but they rely on their physicality, toughness and just their will to win. And that’s what this Pistons team continues to show.”
Many analysts believe the Knicks lost their “toughness” when they lost Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle in the 2024 offseason.
