His time with the Celtics left a lasting impression on Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau
“The first time you walk into the practice facility and you’re looking up at all the banners at each decade, it’s very unique and special."
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has fond memories of his time as an assistant with the Celtics. He was on Doc Rivers’s staff when Boston won the title in 2008, and remained with the franchise until 2010.
Thibodeau played college basketball at Salem State and began his coaching career there. He later had a stint as an assistant coach at Harvard. Winning a title with the Celtics on his last stop before becoming an NBA head coach was special, he said.
“It was just unbelievable, I think, from top to bottom,” Thibodeau said before his team’s 108-105 overtime victory at TD Garden Monday night. “The history of the franchise, the people that are involved from ownership to management to all the players. It’s a special place. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate. I grew up in Connecticut as a Knicks fan and then I went to college at Salem State and became a Celtics fan and then I’ve had the good fortune of working for both franchises.”
Thibodeau is in his second stint with the Knicks after spending seven seasons as an assistant from 1996-2003, but he took a moment to reflect on the people who contributed to the Celtics’ success during his time in Boston.
“Obviously, when you win a championship and once you get here, you realize it’s all the people that are here and what it represents,” Thibodeau said. “The first time you walk into the practice facility and you’re looking up at all the banners at each decade, it’s very unique and special. And of course during that time you had Wyc [Grousbeck], Pags [Steve Pagliuca] in ownership, Danny Ainge, Doc, great players, staff, the people that work in the building, Jeff Twiss, everybody.”
“The only hole in the franchise is [Brian] Scalabrine,” Thibodeau joked.
Late-game focus
After wrapping up the first-round series against Orlando in five games, the Celtics had several days to rest. Coach Joe Mazzulla said looking at late-game film was also an important part of the preparation process.
“Situational basketball is important to learn from whether it’s yourself or others,” Mazzulla said. “Having however many days we had of preparation, you have the ability and are obviously doing a ton of situational work. I think there’s themes that come up in other games, but there’s also nonnegotiables that come up in every game.
“I think sometimes when you watch a game it’s easy to be blinded by all the stuff, and at the end of the day you’re looking to hammer home the details.”
The Knicks punched their ticket to this series on a fourth-quarter 3-pointer from Jalen Brunson. Although the Celtics swept the regular season meetings by an average of 16.2 points, knowing what to do and how to execute the game plan in pressure situations will be key during this round.
“Fourth-quarter rebounding, transition defense in the fourth quarter, attention to detail on personnel,” Mazzulla said. “Who you can help off of, who you can’t. Defending without fouling. The right spacing and execution at the end of the game. I think those things show up everywhere.”
Tatum passes Pierce
Jayson Tatum passed Paul Pierce for fifth place on the Celtics’ postseason scoring list on Monday night.
Tatum’s 23 points in Game 1 brought his total to 2,859. He trails Larry Bird (3,897), John Havlicek (3,776), Kevin McHale (3,182), and Sam Jones (2,909).
All of the players ahead of Tatum played at least 12 seasons with the Celtics and played in at least 154 postseason games.
Tatum, who is in his eighth season, played his 118th in Game 1. He shot 7 for 23 from the field in the loss, including 4 for 15 from 3-point range.
Porzingis leaves with illness
Kristaps Porzingis left the game with a non-COVID illness. He grabbed four rebounds and went scoreless in 13 minutes.
“Obviously it impacts the game with his ability on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “It changes sub patterns, it changes the things that we’re able to do matchup-wise. I think we felt it. It’s not an excuse. We had plenty of opportunities to do it. Hopefully he’s ready for Game 2.”
Jrue Holiday returned to the lineup after missing the final three games of the Orlando series with a hamstring strain.
Holiday broke an 86-86 tie with a 3-pointer with 6:26 to play in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics were unable to hold the slim lead. He finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
“Jrue looked good. Jrue made plays.” said Jaylen Brown. “Offensive rebound after offensive rebound that gave us a chance to get in the game. He made some big plays down the stretch that we needed. He hit a big three to put us up.
“Jrue had a great return. We’re just looking forward to Game 2. Obviously, it stings. We feel like we let our home crowd down but we’re looking forward to Game 2.”
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