Jeff Van Gundy, a former assistant coach to Pat Riley and head coach of the successful Knicks squads of the 1990s, recently spoke to The Post in a phone interview about Tom Thibodeau’s current team.
Thibodeau, who was also an assistant under Van Gundy from 1996 to 2001, compared his rising squad and the Knicks of that era in terms of work ethic and leadership.
Van Gundy stated that the bar was set high by the players from his era, and the sacrifices made for the team’s greater good were what set them apart.
Riley’s Knicks reached the NBA Finals in 1994, and Van Gundy led them to another Eastern Conference championship in 1999. One of Van Gundy’s less-heralded players from the latter team was Rick Brunson, the current assistant coach under Thibodeau. His son Jalen Brunson is fronting the Knicks to a 37-27 record entering Friday’s game in Miami.
Van Gundy acknowledged that he didn’t envision Brunson playing at this level, but he has been proven wrong and believes Brunson has been “a legitimate All-Star” this season.
Van Gundy also credits Thibodeau, his longtime friend and reputed defensive-minded coach, for having the Knicks near the top of the league’s offensive statistics, as well as helping Julius Randle participate in his rescue from a trying season last year to this year’s revival.
Despite being a multiple Coach of the Year award winner, Van Gundy believes Thibodeau is underappreciated at every point in his career.
»Jeff Van Gundy speaks about Tom Thibodeau’s current team«
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