DETROIT — Tom Thibodeau likes to lecture his team that every player who makes it to the NBA has to be great to get there, so ignore the names on the jersey, the pedigree of the opposition, and just play hard.
And for much of the night Wednesday at Little Caesars Arena his point could be debated. But not because of the performance of the no-name assemblage of players that the Detroit Pistons put on the floor, but because of the awful, lifeless effort by his own most heralded players.
Facing a team decimated by COVID-19 and other injuries, only able to prevent the game from being postponed by stocking the roster with eight hardship exception additions, the Knicks found themselves being run off the court in the third quarter when Thibodeau lifted his starters and let the bench carry the day. With an infusion of energy that had been noticeably lacking, the Knicks came from behind for a 94-85 win over the Pistons, avoiding an embarrassing defeat.
