Knicks can only second-guess foul strategy after Jayson Tatum's three lifts Celtics

The Knicks were a Jayson Tatum three away from getting their first win against Boston on Tuesday.

But the Celtics star hit a three with 2.9 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 107. In overtime, Boston out-executed the Knicks to walk out of Madison Square Garden with a two-point win.

Hindsight says that the Knicks should have fouled Tatum. OG Anunoby, who was defending Tatum on the play, acknowledged as much after the game.

“I should have fouled. I should have known to foul,” Anunoby said.

Tom Thibodeau said he didn’t want to foul Tatum because of the “time and situation” of the game.

“They inbounded the ball quickly [after Josh Hart’s made shot], [Tatum's] coming at us and then if he’s in the shooting motion, you’re giving him the three shots,” Thibodeau said. “It wasn’t off a dead-ball situation.”

Thibodeau said he’d want his team to foul in that situation if a player’s back is to the basket. The Knicks had a foul to give before they reached the bonus. But Thibodeau was concerned about Tatum putting up a shot while the Knicks committed the intentional foul.

“If he’s facing the basket and goes into his shooting motion, it’s three shots [from the free-throw line],” Thibodeau said.

A Knicks fan looking for someone to blame would probably point the finger at either Thibodeau or Anunoby. Hart, though, thinks the blame lies with everyone on the floor – both players and coaches.

“I think we didn’t do a good enough job as a team, as players and coaching staff, of understanding the situation and making sure we came out of the timeout knowing exactly what we’re going to run, exactly the scenario if we make the shot, exactly the scenario if we miss the shot,” Hart said after the game. “Credit to them. Tatum hit a heck of a shot. I think we were caught off guard with them not calling a timeout, them just playing.

"But we’ve got to communicate better, all of us from the top down to make sure we understand the situation.”

Denver dysfunction

The Nuggets shocked the NBA on Tuesday by firing both head coach Michael Malone and lead executive Calvin Booth.

There was a significant rift between Malone and Booth. So it stood to reason that ownership would choose to keep either one or the other at the end of the season. That they ended up firing both just days before the playoffs was a surprise.

The friction between Malone and Booth dated back to the 2024 offseason, at the least.

The Denver coaches had been frustrated by recent front-office-led additions to the coaching staff, among other things. The Nuggets’ top decision-makers were unnerved by the short tenure of one of Booth’s significant front office hires. Ownership spent significant money to bring in an executive that Booth wanted only to see the executive depart after a brief stint with the team. Malone’s coaching – as others have reported – wasn’t being received well in the Nuggets locker room. That’s probably why ownership decided to let both Booth and Malone go.

Thibodeau has a relationship with both men.

“It’s an unfortunate part of the business,” the Knicks head coach said before Tuesday’s game. “I’ve known Michael for decades. Unbelievable family, great coach, so you hate to see it, particularly when he’d been there for so long. I also worked with Calvin Booth, who is a terrific guy as well. Michael just did a phenomenal job there, and it’s really unfortunate.

“[Malone] had a long run there, and he did a great job and he won a championship. The record speaks for itself.”

Malone and Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins were both fired late in the regular season by playoff-bound teams. Thibodeau was asked before the game about that strange trend.

“Yeah, it’s unusual, but I think it’s maybe a byproduct of where we are today with all that goes on,” he said. “And that’s where, hopefully, you have people that can remain calm. You win together, you lose together. You work through things together. And I think that’s an important part of this business.”