Many years ago, there was a Chinese TV series called "Pekingese in New York", which contained two very famous lines:
If you like him,
So they sent him to New York,
Because it's paradise there.
If you don't like him,
Please send him to New York, too,
Because it's hell there
This quote also applies to the current New York Knicks - if he likes to play and wants to win, send him to New York, because there is Thibodeau; If he doesn't like playing basketball and just wants to make money, send him to New York as well, because there's Thibodeau.
As the most ruthless head coach in the NBA, Thibodeau used a seven-man rotation and even a six-and-a-half rotation to allow New York to win the battle against the Pacers, and won by a full 30 points.
In the playoff rankings, Bronson is the only one who has played more than 10 games and averaged more than 40 minutes, reaching 41 minutes. In fact, the highest in this category should be Josh Hart, who played 48 minutes in 4 of his 11 games, including 53 minutes due to overtime, which was originally over 46 minutes on average, and the average was lowered by the fact that G4 only played 23 minutes.
In the fourth game, they really couldn't play, and they collapsed as soon as they came up, and they were given vacation training, but Tianwangshan had so much energy, and Bronson played another 43 minutes and scored 44 points.
Thibodeau uses people to the point of incomprehension, even a decade ago, we have seen him use Ross, Noah, and Jimmy Butler in the same way.
Rose suffered a serious injury after winning the MVP, and his career took a big turn, but he did not hate Thibodeau, but re-pitched him in the later stages; After Rose was injured, Thibodeau used Jimmy Butler in the same way, making him the man with the most minutes in the league, and Jimmy didn't hate Thibodeau, and after leaving the Bulls, he went to the Timberwolves to rejoin him. Because the young man didn't accept his way, the Timberwolves could only make one round, and Thibodeau was kicked away.
Now, 12 years after Rose's heyday, the speed and intensity of the NBA are far from what they used to be. In Iverson's era, there were about 10 players in the league who played an average of 40 minutes or more, but now it's 378 minutes at most. Therefore, Hart can play for 48 minutes in a row, and everyone will only shake their heads when they see it.
There are two kinds of shaking heads, one is that he thinks that Thibodeau is too ruthless to use people like this, and the team will not go far, and the other is to shake his head, which is to sigh that only Thibodeau can make the players willing to play for him like this.
In fact, there are two kinds of player attitudes, one is a New York Knick player like the "Nova Three Musketeers", and the other is a player from outside New York, at least partially.
For example, the former Mavericks "celebrity" Parsons said that Thibodeau is too ruthless to use people like this, and no one can stand it, which is why a poll was launched among the players, asking who they are most unwilling to play for, and everyone chose Thibodeau.
Parsons wasn't the only one criticizing Thibodeau in this way, but he was probably the least qualified to say it, because there are three types of players: one who simply likes to play and win, one who wants to play and win and make money, and one who wants to play as little as possible to make money, and that's Parsons.
Hart was not happy, he specially posted on social media and said: "Others don't understand what's going on, it's really ignorant and fearless." People like to label people, but has anyone seen us train? Labeling [Thibodeau] like this is either stupid or bad. ”
New York seems to have been PUA by Thibodeau, but Thibodeau PUA players in his own way, and his players seem to be willing to accept his PUA.
On the one hand, Thibodeau doesn't think that he is called PUA or "mind control" in this way, because he is such a person when he plays, and on the other hand, his every move as a coach is watched by the players, and no one can say a word.
Thibodeau was an outside pitcher when he played, and he was said to be quite accurate, he was as strong as an ox, and he had thick, curly black hair at the time. But then due to a broken wrist in the shooter, he could no longer be as accurate as before, so he gave up playing and suddenly changed to coaching, and became the coach of his teammates.
While working as a coach at the university, Thibodeau visited famous teachers all over the world, and as long as there was a lecture by a famous coach, he would go no matter how far away, even driving thousands of miles away. If you ask him who he is a disciple and which sect he belongs to, it's really hard to say, because before becoming the head coach of Rose, Thibodeau worked as an assistant coach in the NBA for 20 years. At the Rockets, Van Gundy once said that Thibodeau was the best on the coaching staff and was better than me.
When playing, Thibodeau is willing to play the full 40 minutes, so he thinks anyone should be able to play the full 48 minutes. As a coach, he was the first to come and the last to leave in the training center as if he were playing the whole game. At the New York Knicks, no matter how much or how late you think you're practice, the lights are always on in Thibodeau's office when you leave.
Thibodeau's life is only about playing, and the players will eat, drink and have fun outside of playing, but Thibodeau does not. Doesn't he have a family, you might ask? In the NBA, it's an open but unspeakable secret, because everyone knows that Thibodeau is never married and doesn't have a wife.
In fact, while playing in college, Thibodeau almost got married, but the wedding was mysteriously canceled half a year before the agreed date. No one knows why, but probably everyone has guessed why.
My mother once said to Thibodeau, you will return the wedding gift I gave you back then.
It's not so much that Thibodeau PUA the team, it's better to say that he PUA himself first.
He's in the office with the lights on, not for people to see, but for the next game. He can think of almost any kind of adjustment that the opponent may make, and as long as the opponent adjusts, he immediately has a corresponding plan.
In today's battle of Tianwang Mountain, Turner hit three three-pointers in a row at the beginning of the second half, and New York's advantage instantly changed from 16 points to 7 points, so Thibodeau called a timeout. After a timeout of three or four minutes, New York's advantage became 16 points again, and soon it was 20 points, 24 points.
Thibodeau called a timeout, unlike other coaches, where the coaching staff gathered around and spoke for 30 seconds, then sat down on the bench and talked to the players for a minute and a half. Thibodeau never consulted with the coach, and as soon as the timeout began, the bench would be sent under his butt, and he would sit down and draw seven or eight tactics for everyone to follow. Thibodeau said: "I had already done all the coping plans last night, and I didn't need to discuss them with the coaching staff.
Thibodeau's face was expressionless, neither happy nor angry, sometimes with a slightly complaining look. But his inner activity can be seen in the posture of his hands, if you see him standing on the sidelines, with his hands on his chest, it means that everything is business as usual, and continue to fight; If his hands are down, it means that he is not satisfied and is likely to take a timeout soon.
What he hates the most is to have an interview between the festivals and waste time. His voice has always been hoarse, and he may have been born dumb, or he may have kept shouting and shouting.
Thibodeau makes you play 48 minutes, not only to play full, but also to have quality every minute, to fly all over the field, to jump all over the field, to grab all the time. When the opponent provokes, he has to go-for-tat and not give in, because he is like this when he plays by himself. According to his teammates back then, most of the games played by Thibodeau would end in a fight, sometimes he was dissatisfied with the loss, and sometimes the opponent was not convinced.
Therefore, the New York Knicks we saw in the playoffs are not only short-turned, only five or six, six or seven people, but more importantly, just these few people on the court, they will spare no effort to grab every rebound, pounce on every floor ball, and dare to use their bodies to fight against everyone.
Thibodeau is a pure man, a man who lives purely for basketball. But when the water is clear, there are no fish, and even God can't stand it.
This season, the New York Knicks suffered a string of injury curses, losing Randle in the regular season, Bojan Bogdanovic in the playoffs, Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs, and Anunoby when only seven men were left in the rotation.
Some people will say that this is a warning from God to you not to do this again.
But Thibodeau didn't think so, he thought it was a test for the team and himself, just like Moses had to endure enough suffering and experience enough suffering before he split the Red Sea, and there would be a miracle.
And, Thibodeau doesn't see it as suffering at all, saying: "In this league, there are so many teams that only use seven or eight people in the playoffs, and we're just slightly below average."
So, if you feel like you've worked hard enough, but you haven't paid off, think about Thibodeau, PUA yourself.