Behind the Cows and Horses’ victory: Is Thibodeau’s “death rotation” a double-edged sword?

"Without a 41-point lead, you won't be replaced? There is no 'trash time' in Thibodeau's dictionary!" On May 17, 2025, the New York Knicks massacred the Celtics with 40 points to advance to the Eastern Conference Final, but head coach Tom Thibodeau's extreme human resource strategy cast a shadow of controversy on the victory.

led by 40 points in the third quarter, and with 5 minutes and 02 seconds left in the final quarter, all the Knicks' four main players were still present. Thibodeau's "Five Donkeys Tactics" has refreshed his cognition again: core players such as Brunson and Hart averaged more than 42 minutes per game, and scored only 9.8 points in the bench playoffs. The Knicks became the only team in the league that "main players play full of garbage time", and even the commentator shouted: "Is this a modern basketball or a gladiator?"

Tibodeau's "iron-blooded" label began in the Bulls era in 2011 - core Ross fell due to a severe injury per game of 37.4 minutes. Now, with Brunson's ankle risk and Towns' knee injury risk, the Knicks' main player has set a record of "the longest starting time per game in the league" this season.

data show that when the Knicks' main player exceeded 43 minutes in a single game, the offense and defense efficiency increased instead of falling. The historical record of 7 reversals in the playoffs of 15 points confirms the cruel logic of "pain casting armor". But compared with the ten-player rotation of the Celtics, Clippers and other teams, the Knicks' "ultimate tolerance" is more like a big gamble - betting on health, but betting on the present. Behind the management's acquiescence is the temptation of the Knicks entering the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 25 years. However, under the wave of scientific management in the modern NBA, opponents such as the Cavaliers and the Nuggets remain competitive with deep rotation, while Thibodeau still sticks to the dogma of "the main force is everything". If the championship fails, what is waiting for New York may be the reconstruction quagmire of star centrifugation and system collapse.

"Pain is temporary, glory is eternal." But the truth of competitive sports has never been just "who can endure the pain", but also "who can go far."

👉 Do you think Thibodeau's "death rotation" is a miracle or a hidden danger? Welcome to leave your opinions in the comment section!