MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tom Thibodeau won't win as many championships as his friend and idol Bill Belichick, but he can brag about winning more.
Thibodeau reached his 500th career win with Saturday night's 106-94 victory, becoming the 36th NBA coach to reach this milestone.
As expected, Thibodeau denied the credit.
Like Belichick does.
“Things like that show you've been playing a long time and you've had some really good players,” the Knicks coach said. “So, of course I appreciate it, but I don't want to get involved in something like that.”
Thibodeau had more expansive remarks about Belichick's departure from the Patriots, who won the most Super Bowls with a record six times.
“I appreciate what he brought to the table because I grew up in New England,” said Thibodeau, 65, who grew up in Connecticut. “What he did there was just incredible.” . “It's a sign of greatness that he has continued to do things the way he has continued to do them. I grew up thinking the Patriots would never win, and my nephews thought the Patriots would win every year. So it's a completely different perspective. But I think a lot of coaches are learning from him. Coaching is about leadership. He's amazing. He's at the top of my list. .”
Thibodeau already has 148 wins over four seasons, behind Red Holtzman (613), Joe Lapchick (326), Jeff Van Gundy (248) and Pat Riley (223). He is the fifth winningest coach in Knicks history.
Thibodeau went 255-139 in five seasons with the Bulls, then 97-107 in three seasons with the Timberwolves.
Thibodeau said Jalen Brunson suffers from a calf bruise “every day,” but appeared to be walking without a limp when he was on the sideline wearing street clothes on Saturday.
The Knicks will play the Magic at home next Monday afternoon.
“He's feeling better. Let's see. [Sunday]let's do some treatment and stuff another day and see if we can go on Monday,'' the coach said.
Saturday was the Knicks' first game of the season without Brunson, who was injured in Thursday night's loss to the Mavericks, and it was a frustrating game for the point guard, who finished the game limping from American Airlines Center.
Miles McBride started in Brunson's place and had a career-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting in 38 minutes. Malachi Flynn backed him up with nine points in 10 minutes.
“I'm very confident,” McBride said. “I knew if I won, I would win.” [have] It will be a big part of that. Jalen obviously scores a lot of points for us. I couldn't shoulder that, but I felt he could give the team an extra boost. ”
Despite this, the Knicks missed Brunson's organization and playmaking, which showed up in the form of 22 turnovers.
It also exposed the lack of creators, with RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley missing.
Kyrie Irving certainly won the point guard battle over the Knicks on Thursday, but he admitted he was jealous of Brunson because of his family ties.
“I definitely look at it and say, 'I wish my dad was coaching me on the bench and I could have looked down at him and said, 'What do you think about that play?'” Irving said. . “That's a healthy thing. This is a traditional league and to see them work together and to see Jaylen take that light that his father left him in teaching the game of basketball. .”
Brunson's father, Rick, a Knicks assistant, often listens to his son during games and offers coaching advice.
Rick also played as an NBA player with the Knicks and several other teams. Irving's father, Drederick, grew up in the Bronx and played professionally overseas.
Interestingly, Mavericks minority owner Mark Cuban accused Rick of sabotaging Dallas' free agent negotiations with Brunson in 2022.
Brunson's departure paved the way for the Mavericks to acquire Irving from the Nets last season.
