Knicks HC Thibodeau on 37-Point Loss to Cavs: 'There's Got To Be A Lot More Resolve'

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was not happy with his team's effort in their 142-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Thibodeau explained "there's got to be a lot more resolve" from the Knicks when they're playing against the best teams in the NBA.

"Just can't give in, and that's the biggest thing," Thibodeau said. "You can't allow anything to break you. You got to have the mental toughness to get through things. And so, there's got to be a lot more resolve, particularly on the road against the team that is this good, you know?"

The Knicks seemed like they were going to get a shot in the arm against the Cavs. OG Anunoby returned to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 1 after missing six games due to a foot injury.

Instead, the Knicks suffered the worst loss of the Thibodeau era. The last time they lost by at least 37 points was against the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 5, 2019, one day before David Fizdale was fired as head coach.

There's no danger of Thibodeau getting fired today, but the Knicks do look like a team that's still trying to reach the level of the very top teams in the league this season.

In six combined games against the Cavs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Boston Celtics, the Knicks are 0-6 and have been outscored by a total of 128 points.

The Achilles heel for this New York team all season has been defense. The team ranks 18th in defensive rating, ahead of only the Indiana Pacers (No. 20) among the Eastern Conference top six seeds right now.

There will be opportunities for the Knicks to right the ship against the top teams they are likely to see in a potential playoff series. They still have four more games remaining with the Cavs and Celtics in the regular season, starting on Sunday against Boston at TD Garden.

If those upcoming games go the same way Friday night did, there's going to be a lot of concern about the Knicks' ceiling looking ahead to the playoffs even though they are getting great performances from Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns this season.