Stan Van Gundy Roasts Knicks Critics
As the New York Knicks were wrapping up their 121-91 win against the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 last night, it was clear that the fatigue that plagued them in Game 4 was long gone.
The Knicks, especially coach Tom Thibodeau, received criticism after his strategy of playing a tightened rotation extended minutes appeared to fail him. But in the waning minutes of last night's victory, TNT analyst and former NBA coach Stan Van Gundy flipped the script on the critics.
"You saw the Knicks tonight," Van Gundy passionately said on the broadcast. "Does this look like a team that is worn out? That is finished? That has nothing else to give? Not even close!"
Thibodeau hasn't had much of a choice when it comes to his tight rotations. OG Anunoby sat his third consecutive game with a hamstring injury. Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson are both out for the postseason, and Julius Randle hasn't played since the middle of the year. The Knicks have been forced to play this way, and they are embracing it.
Now, they have won seven games in a playoff run for the first time in the millenium and are one win away from their first visit to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years.