LOS ANGELES — If the Celtics are to get back into this NBA Finals series, they will have to play the vaunted defense tonight in Game 2 that inspired the Bulls to decide to hire Boston assistant coach Tom Thibodeau to coach them next season.
Sources said a verbal agreement is in place for Thibodeau to lead the Bulls, at the forefront of the LeBron James chase. Thibodeau’s defensive scheme already has sent James home packing one month ago in the second round, and sent Kobe Bryant down to defeat in the 2008 Finals.
But now Thibodeau’s crew has to avoid the distraction of him leaving and step it up after Game 1’s mediocre defensive outing when Bryant and company toasted the Celtics in shooting 48 percent.
“Tom is the mastermind behind the Celtics defense,” Boston forward Glen Davis said. “He’s a great defensive coach and means a lot to the team. But he’s here now. We can’t worry about next year.”
Thibodeau, the former Knicks assistant under Jeff Van Gundy, is not permitted to talk to the media under Doc Rivers’ rules. He has hidden from the press during media availability.
The Post reported recently Thibodeau’s new alliance with William Wesley, a James advisor who just became a coaching agent with the same company run by Leon Rose, LeBron’s agent. The connections are there and it’s likely the Bulls made this move knowing James — like Bryant — thinks highly of Thibodeau. Kobe has credited Thibodeau publicly for Boston’s scheme in holding him down in 2008.
“I think definitely he’s been the most consistent coach I’ve had defensively with schemes,” Ray Allen said. “He’s always been stubborn in doing certain things defensively on the floor.”
It’s been a mystery why it took this long for Thibodeau to get his shot. When Van Gundy resigned in 2001, the Knicks chose to promote Don Chaney, bypassing “Thibs”. Knicks president Donnie Walsh did not interview him two years ago during his coaching search that ended with Mike D’Antoni’s hire.
A league source said Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf has had a “man crush” on Thibodeau for some time. Thibodeau was a Nets candidate, too, and had an offer from the Hornets.
Van Gundy, covering the Finals for ABC, told The Post: “Twenty years of hard work has paid off for Tom. His diligence, his passion and his talent have been recognized and rewarded. His hiring is a feel-good story for all coaching lifers.”
Bulls brass flew to L.A. to interview Thibodeau, but they can’t announce it during The Finals.
“He deserves the job,” Rivers said. “I think he’s the best candidate out there. I’ve said that for three years now.”
The Celtics defense in Game 1 was not poor and they were less physical than the Lakers. The Lakers had 84 points after three quarters and had 16 second-chance points to Boston’s zero.
“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of things we can do a lot better when you give up 100 points,” Boston’s Paul Pierce said. “We got to do a better job of stopping the guards from penetrating and a better job with Kobe.”
Bryant, who scored 30 points and got to the rim often, said his chief goal is the Lakers staying even-keeled. “Stay composed, not get too high or low,” Bryant said. “We’re not a rah-rah team. We don’t have a lot of jumping around. I learned that from Phil [Jackson].”
