The New York Knicks’ road to an NBA Finals appearance is already exhausting enough with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics in their path, so under no circumstances can they afford locker room strife.
Some fans were stressing out after they heard Mikal Bridges say he talked to head coach Tom Thibodeau about potentially giving the bench players more minutes in order to ease some of the physical wear-and-tear on the starters. A mild concern was amplified a couple of notches after Thibodeau denied having a conversation with Bridges about minutes. Soon, Chicken Little made his way through Madison Square Garden.
Anxiety declined a bit after the 28-year-old wing erupted for 33 points and nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. Following the latest update, hopefully order will be restored among the Knickerbockers fan base.
After dropping an injury timeline update on Jalen Brunson, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania revealed where things currently stand between Bridges and Thibodeau.
“After both of those comments were made publicly, I’m told that both Mikal Bridges and Tom Thibodeau held a closed-door meeting in Portland before that game,” he reported on NBA Countdown, ahead of the Knicks’ Saturday night road matchup against the Golden State Warriors.
“And it’s been described to me by everyone involved as a productive meeting, one {in which} both sides were able to hash things out, get their feelings across…. and both sides have moved on. I had one source tell me yesterday that it’s over, it’s history. It is notable, though, that Mikal Bridges is the first active player that we know of that really spoke out like this {about} Tom Thibodeau throughout his coaching career… But the Knicks, as far as they’re concerned, this is over.”
Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown — Knicks’ Jalen Brunson expected out through late March/early April, and fallout from Mikal Bridges and Tom Thibodeau meeting: pic.twitter.com/NtkgNMyI6R
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 16, 2025
Knicks press on ahead
A sense of restlessness will permeate the city until Brunson returns from his ankle sprain, but this is great news. The two-time NBA Coach of the Year knows he is not Mr. popularity when it comes to his teams, but he has built a reputation on being respected by his players. That relationship must be intact, particularly in these next couple of months.
Clearing the air is vital, but actually implementing change will not be easy for Thibodeau. Heck is it easy for any 67-year-old? Bridges logged 41 minutes in his triumphant showing versus the Blazers. His HC might be coming around in New York’s latest matchup, however. The former Villanova star got a few minutes of rest in the first half, so maybe he can slip under the 40-mark tonight. But game script might force Thibodeau’s hand, as the Warriors currently lead at time of print.
Bridges averages 37.8 minutes per contest, narrowly trailing teammate Josh Hart for the league lead. OG Anunoby ranks sixth. What really separates the Pennsylvania native from everyone else, however, is that he has never missed an NBA game in almost eight seasons. That is quite the burden to put on one’s body.
Perhaps the Knickerbockers can use an iconic run as motivation for playoffs
Teams looking to make a deep playoffs run sometimes have to make compromises throughout the regular season. Thibodeau does not bend often, though. He brings a whole new meaning to the term iron man. Mikal Bridges fully embraces that label, but even he has limits.
The good news is that the Knicks have a number of options like Brunson, Hart, Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns to share in the workload. And if Thibodeau does not relent, they can always look to history as motivation.
The late great head coach Herb Brooks made life hard on the 1980 United States men’s hockey team, but they rallied and went on to pull off one of the biggest upsets in world history at the Winter Olympics. Can the Knicks find the same magical formula in the midst of pain? We will have to see.
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