NEW YORK — Head coach Tom Thibodeau made his expectations clear back in September. Yes, the Knicks had just won 50 games, finished with the second seed in the East and made it to the second round of the playoffs. But that was last year.
This year’s Knicks would need to integrate new pieces — would need to develop new habits, forge new bonds. You don’t just respawn at the same point you ended at last year; if you want to get to the promised land, you can’t skip any steps.
“It's a long grind, and you prepare for that, and I would think that you begin with the end in mind,” Thibodeau said at Knicks media day.