Tom Thibodeau has a well-deserved reputation for a fondness for veterans and even as he has taken over a Knicks squad that is among the youngest in the NBA, he still often leans on the players who have been there.
And it seemed a case in point Monday as he rode Elfrid Payton for much of the game as the Knicks were taking on the Atlanta Hawks in the last stop of a four-game road trip. But with 3:51 to play in the third Payton had already played nearly the entire game and the point guard had thrown up more shots than anyone in the game - and missed more than any, too, missing 12 of 18 to that point, playing no small part in the 11-point hole the team found itself.