The New York Knicks had their most successful postseason run since 2000, but after being eliminated in the Eastern Conference finals, the team fired the coach that led them there. The Knicks made the decision to move on from Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday in a decision that surprised many, including other coaches.
One coach was so shocked he didn’t think the news he was seeing was real. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, whose team eliminated the Knicks, was asked about Thibodeau’s firing on Wednesday. Ahead of the start of the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, Carlisle said he was “shocked” by New York’s decision.
“When I first saw it I thought it was one of those fake AI things. There’s no way,” he said, adding that he didn’t think it was “possible.”
Thibodeau coached the Knicks for five seasons and led the team to the postseason in four of them. The Knicks were knocked out in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2023 and 2024 before advancing to the conference finals this time around, only to be eliminated in six games by Indiana. Before the loss to the Pacers, New York went 51-31 in the regular season and eliminated the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in the East semifinals.
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Thibodeau coached the Knicks to one of their better runs in recent history, and Carlisle acknowledged that coaching in New York comes with a different level of pressure and scrutiny.
“The Knicks have such a unique situation with so much attention and such a large fanbase and such a worldwide following, it’s one of the most difficult jobs to take,” Carlisle said. “There were a lot of lean years. Thibs went in there and changed so much… And I know how the players feel about him, too.”
Despite the firing, Carlisle believes Thibodeau will find himself back on an NBA bench whenever he’s ready.
“Tom will certainly be fine,” Carlisle said. “I don’t think he’s gonna have any problem finding his next job, it’s just going to depend on when he’s ready to jump back in again. I have great respect for Thibs. I go back with him a very long way. I was surprised.”
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