Tom Thibodeau is the second Knicks coach in the past 20 years to take two teams to the playoffs.
Thibodeau’s club clinched a playoff berth on Sunday with a win over the Wizards.
Just don’t expect him to light any victory cigars.
“It’s a great accomplishment because it’s one of the goals, one of several. It’s the next step along the way,” Thibodeau said on Sunday, when asked about making the playoffs. “So, keep going. … We know how important the next game is. So get ready for Indiana. But just keep checking the boxes as we go.”
Back in late November, it was hard to see how the 2022-23 Knicks would check off this box. The club was 10-13 and had lost in embarrassing fashion to the Mavericks at home. They were a few losses away from significant organizational changes.
After the Dallas defeat, Thibodeau trimmed his rotation to nine players. He inserted Miles McBride and removed Derrick Rose and Evan Fournier. The Knicks then went on a season-altering eight-game win streak. They persevered through injuries to Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson, remaining in the playoff hunt at the trade deadline. Leon Rose and company acquired Josh Hart at the deadline and the reeled off nine straight wins. That win streak wasn’t season-altering; it simply affirmed that the Knicks were a very good team.
Now, they enter the final week of the season with a playoff berth locked up. They can finish as high as fourth and as low as sixth. Their seeding will be determined over the next few days. But they’ve reached the expectation that owner James Dolan set for the group a few weeks ago. Dolan made it clear in an interview with WFAN that he believed the team should be in the playoffs.
“I love that the owner has great belief in the team — that’s what I want,” Thibodeau said Sunday. “Our job is to put the work in each day.”
The Knicks have done that. And it’s landed them in the playoffs for the second time under Thibodeau. Just don’t expect anyone to throw a party to celebrate.
“We want to continue to get better, continue to find ways to make each other better and make sure we’re staying focused as we’re going forward,” Brunson said Sunday. “That’s what’s most important.”
DIRECT PATH TO FIFTH
The Knicks (46-33) are 2.5 games up in the loss column on the Nets. If they win one of their final three games or Brooklyn (43-35) loses one of its final four, the Knicks will clinch the fifth seed.
Even if the Knicks and Nets finish with 45-37 records, the Knicks would win the tie-breaker. They tied the season series, 2-2.
In the scenario above, they would finish with the same record against Atlantic Division teams. The next tiebreaker is record against teams in the conference.
There is a scenario where the Knicks and Nets could both finish with 30-21 records against Eastern Conference teams. The next tiebreaker is record against Eastern Conference playoff teams — the Knicks would win this tiebreaker.
STRONG PLAY FROM OBI
Obi Toppin had a season-high 21 points, four assists, two steals and one block against Washington. He played the entire second half on Sunday.
Afterward, Thibodeau praised Toppin for making strong reads.
“I thought Obi made a number of good plays off the double team. He shot it. He made quick decisions. He skipped it across. He got us rhythm shots,” Thibodeau said. “When you get everyone playing to each other’s strengths, good things should come out of it.”
Toppin was among four Knicks to score 20-plus points on Sunday. It was the first time four Knicks had reached or surpassed the 20-point mark since Dec. 1, 2018.
