It took an embarrassing national roast and a looming 3-0 hole for Tom Thibodeau to do the one thing Knicks fans have begged for all season: adapt. No, not with a mid-game yoga session or a personality transplant. But with something far more surprising… lineup flexibility.
Call it a plot twist. Call it desperation. But in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks trotted out 15 different lineup combinations, seven of which had never shared the floor this season—eight if you count the one with just a single recorded possession, according to Keerthika Uthayakumar. For a coach often accused of being stubborn to a fault, this was a full-blown makeover.
Oh, and the best part? It worked. Down 2-0 in the series, with Jalen Brunson strapped to the bench with five fouls and the Pacers threatening to run away with Game 3, Karl-Anthony Towns turned into something between a wrecking ball and a lifeboat. He scored 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, grabbed 15 rebounds, and played through a sore knee like someone who hadn’t forgotten what being scrutinized in prime time feels like.
“It’s a true test when you’re down 20-plus,” Towns said. “Tonight was the kind of night where he had to have that never-say-die attitude.” And they needed every ounce of it. Because even when they cut the lead to single digits, the ghosts of blown leads and cold shooting lingered. But Towns opened the fourth with a three, then bullied his way into two layups. By the time Brunson returned to the floor, the game had flipped. The Knicks took the lead with 7:10 to go on a Brunson layup and never looked back, sealing a gritty 106-100 win that kept the series alive. Even ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks couldn’t hide the shock. He posted: “That was one terrific coaching job by Tom Thibodeau and his staff.”
This wasn’t just a player-led win. Tom Thibodeau made bold choices—not just with rotations, but with the actual personnel. OG Anunoby? He played like a man who wanted every Indiana fan to remember his name. 16 points, 2 rebounds, and just enough edge to rile up the crowd. Miles McBride, Landry Shamet, Delon Wright? Yes, Delon Wright! Thibodeau gave them real minutes, real responsibility, and they delivered. Not perfectly.
But they gave the starters rest, gave Indiana something new to think about, and most importantly, gave Tom Thibodeau a coaching win. TNT’s Kenny Smith dropped it best: “Thibodeau wouldn’t play 9 guys in a baseball game.” Well, not anymore.
Kenny dropping bars:
“Thibodeau wouldn’t play 9 guys in a baseball game” pic.twitter.com/Pw0FDseMV9
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 26, 2025
This wasn’t just a rare coaching curveball. It was a reminder that even the toughest nut can crack under the right pressure, and sometimes, that crack lets the light in. Who knew Thibs had a little jazz musician lurking under all that grit?
Tom Thibodeau vs. the margin of error
Before Sunday, Thibodeau’s refusal to budge off his seven-man playoff rotation had become basketball meme material. He was criticized across the internet. But Game 3 showed he can zig when he usually zags. The result? A bench that held steady when it mattered most. A defense that forced Indiana into hurried looks late. And a win that kept the Knicks from falling into the 0-3 abyss that swallows most of the teams who go there.
After the win, Thibodeau wasn’t exactly basking in his own evolution. Instead, he zoomed in on the margin of chaos that defines playoff basketball. “Just gotta find a way to win,” he said, pointing back to how close Games 1 and 2 really were. A missed Haliburton shot here, a near-turnover there—he wasn’t exaggerating when he called it “a small difference between winning and losing.” That’s why the Game 3 tweaks mattered so much. Because in Thibs’ world, you don’t pray for luck, rather, you fight for every possession until the game bends your way.
Game 4 tips off Tuesday, and the Pacers won’t just lie down. Rick Carlisle will counter. Expect more pressure on Towns, tighter hedges on Brunson, and an interior wall ready for Josh Hart (who was benched in Game 3) and OG Anunoby. Because this Game 3 win wasn’t a fluke. It was built on sweat, smart adjustments, and (gasp) a modern coaching approach. The Knicks looked like a team that wanted more than a gutsy performance. They looked like a team that finally understood survival isn’t success.
Tom Thibodeau may not have changed his personality, but for one night, he changed his playbook. And that? That might be the Knicks’ biggest win yet.
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