The New York Knicks have struggled since the All-Star break.
Following a two-point win in overtime at home against the lowly Chicago Bulls on Thursday, the Knicks suffered a 142-105 defeat on the road against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.
The loss to the Cavaliers was the worst for Tom Thibodeau since he became the coach of New York in 2020.
On Sunday, the Boston Celtics led the Knicks for the majority of the contest before finishing with a 118-105 win in front of 19,156 fans at TD Garden.
Thibodeau received criticism on social for his decision to put in star center Karl-Anthony Towns with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Celtics up by nearly 20 points.
Towns left the game with an apparent knee injury with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. The five-time All-Star had to be helped off the bench to the locker room.
Per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, Thibodeau explained the decision to put Towns in late in the fourth quarter, saying he felt “fine” to play the rest of the way.
Fans were angry that Thibodeau risked further injuring the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft by putting him into a game that was well out of reach for the Knicks.
“Your days are definitely numbered, buddy,” wrote a fan.
“Limped back after being on the ground but yeah he’s fine play him in a game we’ve already lost,” posted another.
“Yall don’t get it man, every player says they’re fine because they want to play, it’s almost like a dude who drunk drives saying he’s fine and could drive home, as a coach you have authority over your players and if you see something off, you make the right decision, he doesn’t,” suggested a fan.