Because the Knicks coach shot down the private discussion that happened with Bridges, Smith would take the star's side, saying the incident is a “bad sign” for the team. In the win over the Trail Blazers, Bridges finished with 33 points in 41 minutes.

If there's one thing we know about a Tom Thibodeau-coached team it's that he's going to play his starters a ton of minutes. He's been known to run with short rotations, relying heavily upon his starters to the point where there tends to be criticism about overworking his stars.

Things started awkwardly between the Knicks starter and coach, and then ended with Bridges hitting the game-winner in overtime vs. Portland.