WASHINGTON – After the Knicks lost momentum in the third quarter and nearly lost a big lead, coach Tom Thibodeau called a timeout with a message to his team that was clearly too sneaky to repeat.
“I can not do it [say it]'' Jalen Brunson said. “Basically his message was, 'Be better.'”
The Knicks responded and quickly turned their five-point lead back to 16 within about five minutes. This permanently eliminated the Wizards from the game, and the Knicks won 121-105 on Saturday, leaving Capital One Arena with their fourth straight win.
Thibodeau also did not want to reveal his words during the timeout. Obviously he was angry.
“You don't want to know,” Thibodeau said.
Julius Randle provided details suitable for children.
“They were just playing zone, trying to disrupt the game, trying to slow us down, and we just couldn't execute,” Randle said. “They were leaking off of our bad offensive possessions and making easy layups in transition, threes, things like that. We just had to do that to set up our defense.”
The highlight of the game was reserve guard and underrated leaper Miles McBride finishing the first quarter with a putback dunk against multiple Wizards.
This caused a huge reaction from the Knicks bench, giving the visiting team a 15-point lead going into the second quarter.
Thibodeau is clearly ready to have Taj Gibson on board.
Thibodeau said he would give one of his favorite players the assistant coaching position “100 percent” and said a transition could happen sooner rather than later.
With Mitchell Robinson undergoing ankle surgery, Gibson considered retirement until the Knicks called him up on a one-year contract as an insurance center.
An injury to Jericho Sims later forced him out, but the addition of Precious Achiuwa took Gibson out of the rotation once again.
If Gibson is not fired by Jan. 10, his contract will be guaranteed for the remainder of the season.
If he does, he may have a future as an assistant coach with the Knicks.
“We're still considering that. But it has to be the right situation,” Gibson said. “I want to be in a place where I can learn and brighten my future. Being around a coaching staff that I can learn from is a bright spot for me. They basically taught me how to be a pro. It just fits where I can learn and just fit in.”
