Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah listens to head coach Tom Thibodeau during the second half of an NBA game against the Houston Rockets in Chicago on March 13, 2014. Credit: AP/Nam Y. Huh
For Tom Thibodeau, culture is everything. Shots will come and go, but having the right guys who play the game the right way, players who work without reservation, is how you build a team.
In New York, he has that in the group that overachieved last season, and the Knicks carefully brought in players who he and the front office believed would fit with the work put in last season.