Knicks Community Blasts Stephen A. Smith for Stirring Tom Thibodeau Controversy After Clearing Stance on Mikal Bridges’ Complaints

Can there be trouble in paradise after an enthusiastic win? The New York Knicks went to the buzzer in their victory against the Portland Trail Balzers. Mikal Bridges stepped in and nailed a dagger three, hitting his signature celebration. Yet, there are reasons to believe the elation for the win may be shortlived. Why? It’s possible that coach Tom Thibodeau and his players don’t see eye to eye on certain matters.

It won’t be hard to guess. Thibs is a relentless personality who will do what it takes to win. Usually, it’s playing his starter’s heavy minutes. The only problem is Bridges admitted to having a private talk with his head coach. Right after the game though, Thibodeau was clear. “We never had a conversation,” he told the media.

It could just be a simple misunderstanding. But Tom Thibodeau is sticking to his point. He feels wing players such as Bridges need to be out on the floor the most because of their duties to guard the best player. It’s a fair explanation. However, Stephen A. Smith does feel the opposing views between the player and the coach could be harmful to the Knicks.

“Tom Thibodeau is in a world of trouble.” @stephenasmith and @KendrickPerkins on Mikal Bridges’ comments about playing too many minutes with the Knicks pic.twitter.com/lDgmU86woA

— First Take (@FirstTake) March 13, 2025

“Tom Thibodeau is in trouble. He is in a world of trouble,” he said on First Take. “Tom Thibodeau refused to acknowledge that there was a one-on-one conversation. He said it never happened… And here’s where Bridges has the credibility… He’s one of the iron men of the league. He’s always playing, he doesn’t miss games and he doesn’t play minimal minutes… When have we ever heard Mikal Bridge complain about anything let alone minutes,” he said

Likewise, the ESPN analyst thinks Bridges is speaking for the team and his thoughts represent his teammates. But if Thibs did say Bridges is lying about their conversation, Stephen A. Smith thinks it’s “a bad sign”. As for the Knicks fanbase, they may abandon Smith after all.

Knicks fans are tired of Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith has covered the NBA for decades. However, he holds a special place in his heart for the Knicks. Hence, he tends to get emotional when speaking about them. But here, the Knicks fans feel he is trying to create an unnecessary rift. “Just stop listening or watching first take. ESPN as a whole is so awful now” one fan wrote.

Smith made a rather valid point under normal circumstances. Right after Mikal Bridges expressed his concerns, Thibodeau deployed him for 41 minutes against the Trail Blazers. However, it was also an overtime game. Hence why fans feel the ESPN analyst doesn’t even watch the games.

“He probably didn’t have time to watch the whole game while in the middle of his “LeBron was mean to me” media tour,” a fan said about Smith. It alludes to his recent dispute with LeBron James as the Lakers star publicly confronted him over his son Bronny. But that’s not the point of discussion today.

There are legitimate concerns when it comes to the Knicks starting five in particular. One can understand Thibodeau’s wanting his wing players to play the majority of minutes. However, their entire starting five ranks in the top 25 players for minutes played per game. No other team in the NBA boasts such a statistic.

Even though that’s the case, there was no mercy for Stephen A. Smith. One fan berated him saying “Is there a person with even half a brain that thinks Tom Thibodeau is “in trouble”? Lol. What is he talking about?”. In hindsight, it isn’t a major rift by any measure. Tom Thibodeau using his ideologies has led the Knicks to the third seed in the East so far.

Additionally, since Jalen Brunson’s injury, the need to play his best players has exponentially increased. That wasn’t taken into account by Stephen A. Smith. Furthermore, Bridges was also their most successful player tonight. That’s why fans think the only reason Smith is creating the narrative is to generate an audience. “Knicks for clicks man, we’ve been here before” a fan mentioned.

As much as the minutes’ issue might be a concern, Thibodeau has the players to buy in. Bridges’ suggestion seemed more titled to giving the bench players a chance to shine when they are playing well. He did say it’s physically taxing. But the Knicks are winning games. To Tom Thibodeau, that is his primary concern. And he is fulfilling his duties.

The post Knicks Community Blasts Stephen A. Smith for Stirring Tom Thibodeau Controversy After Clearing Stance on Mikal Bridges’ Complaints appeared first on EssentiallySports.