Knicks Coach Hopes to Move Past Celtics Game

The New York Knicks didn't start their season off on the right foot.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 24, 2024

Oct 18, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau looks on during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images / Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks defense struggled mightily in their season-opening loss to the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

During the game, the Celtics shot 50.5 percent from the field, including 47.5 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Celtics made 29 3-pointers, which tied an NBA record for most made triples in a game.

While the Celtics did a good job making their shots, the Knicks could have defended better, and coach Tom Thibodeau hopes to move past this poor performance.

“We’ll take a look at what we did, what we had to fix, get back to work," Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. "Every game reveals things to you. Sometimes you do things well, sometimes not as well as you need to. But understand why you lost or won and take the necessary steps to move forward.”

The defense is the backbone of any team Thibodeau coaches, so to come out flat on that end of the floor to start the season may have been somewhat disappointing for the Knicks coach.

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who was coached by Thibodeau from 2016-19 with the Minnesota Timberwolves, also knows how important it is to be strong on defense.

“I feel very confident in our offense, (but) we’ve got to bring that defensive identity that’s going to make us special," Towns said. “Once we figure that out, we’ll take that next step and we’ll be able to be the team we want to be.”

The Knicks have plenty of time to turn things around, and their opponent usually won't hit 29 threes in a game, but that performance to start the season will emphasize the importance of defense moving forward and the team can use that game as a tool to get better later on in the year.

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Published Oct 24, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.