Dec 28, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau (R) and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) look on during a stoppage in play against the Washington Wizards in the third quarterat Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Jalen Brunson Fights Unfair Knicks Coach Narrative

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Geoff Magliocchetti | Last updated May 27, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The New York Knicks captain put in another vote of confidence and hope to move forward for his major.

Hours after the Knicks earned one of their most monumental victories of the season, point guard Jalen Brunson was pleased that the triumph, a 106-100 advantage over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, would clear up the "unfair" narratives that surround head coach Tom Thibodeau.

"It's definitely unfair, but people are entitled to their opinion. People are entitled to say or think whatever they want," Brunson said in video from SNY. "For the most part, as a team, as an organization, there's always going to be a lot of noise, positive and negative. It's all about what we think, what we do, about the work we put in day in and day out, obviously trusting our journey. Regardless of what people say, we're always going to have each other's backs.

Jalen Brunson was asked about the perception of Tom Thibodeau being "set in his ways"

"It's definitely unfair, but people are entitled to their opinion. People are entitled to say or think whatever they want." pic.twitter.com/yf173znaCu
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2025

Game 3, another comeback from 20 points down, saw several step up as the Knicks avoided the historically impenetrable 3-0 hole: Josh Hart proved to be equally formidable coming off the bench as he is in the starting five, pulling in 10 rebounds, including five alone in the final period. Karl-Anthony Towns also recovered from a slow start to put up 20 points in the aforementioned fateful fourth.

But it was quite a day for Thibodeau as well, as the long-tenured Knicks boss broke out of his steadfast dedications to a long-standing starting five (replacing Hart with Mitchell Robinson) and the same seven/eight-man rotation, allowing long-forgotten reserves like Landry Shamet and Delon Wright to play meaningful minutes despite their inactivity throughout the spring.

The gambits paid off in the form of yet another comeback victory and the Knicks' first in the national semifinal round since 2000. It has made Brunson even more dedicated to the cause of granting Thibodeau his first NBA championship ring as a head coach, having previously earned one as Doc Rivers' right-hand man in Boston 17 years ago.

"He has obviously been in a lot of battles with different teams, had different successes," Brunson said in another video from SNY. "Watching this man work tirelessly day-in and day-out, 364 days out of the year. He maybe takes one day off. It would mean a lot. I know he's not thinking about that. I know he's not thinking about what it would mean to him. He's just thinking about, what can we do to be better in Game 4?"

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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