WATCH: Knicks Stars React to 'Awful!' Tom Thibodeau AI

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart showed New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau doctored videos of his metropolitan euphoria.
May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau coaches against the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter of game one of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 6, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau coaches against the Indiana Pacers during the third quarter of game one of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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Skynet has nothing on the New York Knicks.

Artificial intelligence has infiltrated the meme game, much to the humored chagrin of Knicks boss Tom Thibodeau. As the Knicks embarked on their most successful season in over a decade, New Yorkers showed their appreciation to Thibodeau by including him some viral posts that digitally broke him out of his mild-mannered shell.

One of the most popular, created by X user "@_TheBigSneeze," featured Thibodeau digitally superimposed over rapper Lil Yachty engaged in an animated dance while taking the stage at a 2021 music festival. Thibodeau got a chance to respond to the video in real time when he appeared on the "Roommates Show," the web series hosted my his metropolitan stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

"That's awful," Thibodeau remarked, unable to suppress a smile. "That's either (Mitchell Robinson) or Josh Hart that put that together. One of the two, I'm telling you right now!"

Thibodeau previously addressed the viral craze shortly before the postseason tipped off in April, claiming that Robinson, the Knicks' longtime center, was the first to show him. He appears to be convinced that Robinson is the true mastermind after further questioning from co-host Matt Hillman, though he acknowledged that Hat was equally capable of such a feat.

No matter who was responsible, it was apparently enough to fool former "Saturday Night Live" star and Knicks superfan Tracy Morgan, if a Brunson anecdote is to be believed.

"The best part about this video was when Tracy Morgan was like "wait, was Thibs there actually doing that? I'm like 'no!'" Brunson said. "Thibs don't leave the house, Thibs don't leave the office, so there's no way he was going to the concert."

Nov 20, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with guard Jalen Brunson (11) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with guard Jalen Brunson (11) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Hart, on the other hand, believes that the video exposes Thibodeau's true outgoing nature, expressing a theory that Thibodeau dances to the music he plays behind closed doors.

Informing Thibodeau of his viral fame was of a segment entitled "Picture Me Scrollin'," where the "Roommates'" guest and the hosts react to the funniest visuals social media has to offer. Thibodeau was further amused, for example, by a fan that used AI to make him lip sync "Bad Bitty" by rapper J.P., one posted after his shorthanded group took a 2-0 series lead on the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Don't expect Thibodeau to get involved in the fun: a recurring joke throughout the segment references Thibodeau's takedown of the photo-sharing app Instagram, as he referred to it as "fake-a-gram" when addressing his players' supposed internet activity over the postseason.

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Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks