For New York Knicks, this journey issues no less than partly the buddies they made alongside the way in which.
Friday’s match in opposition to Los Angeles Clippers supplied to the Knicks to reconnect with the previous beloved head coach Jeff Van Gundywhich now patrols the brand new line of contact of intuits Dome as a Assistant underneath Tyronn learn. The intercontries confrontation subsequently meant a bit extra for Thibodeau, who beforehand was assistant underneath Van Gundy in Manhattan.
“We got here collectively a very long time in the past … An excellent coach. Massive particular person. Extraordinarily competent. Only a nice human being. I’m actually pleased for him”
–– Tom Thibodeau on the assistant of Clippers Jeff Van Gundy for whom he labored a number of occasions, together with on the workers of the Knicks of the 90s of Van Gundy pic.twitter.com/rqp18a0xjj
– New York Basketball (@nba_newyork) March 8, 2025
“We got here collectively a very long time in the past,” remembers Thibodeau earlier than Friday’s match (H / T New York Basketball on X). “After I met him for the primary time, he was a graduate assistant to Windfall School and doing nearly all the things: sponge the bottom, pencil, working, recruit 24 hours a day, main the summer season camp.
“He is a good, formidable coach, an amazing, extraordinarily competent particular person, only a nice human being, so I am actually pleased for him.”
The grasp obtained the very best of the protégé this time, whereas Van Gundy’s mowers stifled the Knicks of Thibodeau by A 105-95 end Within the latter’s first journey to the brand new Los Angeles area.
Working underneath LUE is the primary job of coach of the NBA of Van Gundy since his four-year time period on the head of the Houston Rockets in 2003-2007. Final yr, Van Gundy, beforehand one of many essential shade commentators on the very best ABC / ESPN radio group (which additionally offered the Sustainable Knicks TV voice Mike Breen and the Knicks veteran, Mark Jackson), received his first NBA championship ring as a advisor on the Boston Celtics.
Dealing with Van Gundy Friday has a better sense of metropolitan irony: Saturday marked the twenty ninth anniversary of his first match on the New York bar after intervening to switch mid-season for the dismissed donation. It was the primary of the 420 competitions by Van Gundy, which is presently classifying third on the checklist of Knicks coaching victories at 248 (Thibodeau, presently fifth, is 33 years outdated at 215).
Van Gundy will make a return journey to Madison Sq. Backyard later this month, as a result of he and the Clippers ought to go to on March 28.
