In his first time back on the sidelines in nearly two years Tom Thibodeau managed to keep his calm Friday night, not lose his voice and even keep his facemask intact. And that lasted about one quarter when the notion that this was the Knicks first preseason game gave way to the reality that every game and, really, every play are life and death for the coaching lifer.
When the Knicks came out early in the second half and Julius Randle committed a sloppy turnover and on the other end lackadaisical defense led to a three-point field goal, Thibodeau called timeout and ripped his mask off to get his message to his team.