Former New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau seemingly threw some shade at his former team on social media Monday.
The Knicks were taken apart by the Detroit Pistons 121-90 on Monday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. After the game, some Knicks fans took aim at the team’s defense, with one pointing out that it was “stunning” that a team with so many quality individual defenders was so bad defensively.
Thibodeau briefly reposted the message on his own X account, but ultimately removed it.
Tom Thibodeau reposted our very own @DylanBackerESM’s tweet overnight 😳
— Fireside Knicks (@FiresideKnicks) January 6, 2026
He has since removed the repost. pic.twitter.com/p9O0Fs9uhC
Thibodeau’s teams certainly always did play defense. New coach Mike Brown is not quite cut from the same cloth, and it shows, as the team’s offensive rating has improved while the defensive rating has gotten worse.
It should be noted the Knicks were also without Josh Hart on Monday, which may have helped. Either way, it is true that the Knicks looked quite inept defensively against the top team in the Eastern Conference.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau at the end of last season despite a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. At the time, it was reported that the organization had concerns about some of Thibodeau’s methods. While he offered no indication of it at the time, he might still be feeling a little salty about his dismissal right now.
Whatever Thibodeau’s feelings, the Knicks are not exactly performing poorly. They are 23-13, even after Monday’s ugly defeat.
