New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau calls out to players during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets in an NBA basketball game Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in New York. (Sarah Stier/Pool Photo via AP) Credit: AP/Sarah Stier
Tom Thibodeau isn’t going to celebrate. Not when there are still games to be played, opponents to get ready for and a million little contingencies to weigh.
A day after the Knicks clinched their first playoff berth since 2013, their nose-to-the-grindstone coach seemed reluctant to weigh in on the magnitude of what his team had accomplished. Reluctant, that is, until someone asked if he can appreciate what a return to the postseason might mean to a young Knicks fan who has no memory of the Knicks' previous glory days.