Knicks fire coach Tom Thibodeau after Eastern Conference finals trip, AP source says

[RandySF]

The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday just days after their first trip to the Eastern Conference finals in 25 years, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press.

The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night. They then decided to move on from Thibodeau, who led them to the postseason in four of his five seasons in New York.

The decision was made by team president Leon Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. The firing was first reported by ESPN.

It's a strange decision by the Knicks, who had been one of the league's worst franchises for most of the 2000s until Thibodeau was hired in 2020. He promptly led the Knicks to the playoffs in his first season, winning his second NBA Coach of the Year award, and they have been a solid contender in the East in recent seasons.



https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2025/06/03/knicks-tom-thibodeau-fired-eastern-conference-finals

[LakeVermilion]

1. Perhaps...

the owner wants to have more than 5 players used in a game, since he is paying all of them.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Tyrese Haliburton, In That Series,...

....averaged more minutes per game than all but 2 Knicks, and the difference was under 1 minute.
Pascal Siakam averaged the 5th most minutes in the series.
The data, at least for this series, doesn't support your statement. Nobody on the Knicks averaged more than 38 minutes per game. 38 minutes is not unusual deep in the playoffs.
Steph Curry has averaged just under 36 minutes per game in his 6 finals series, as an example.

[choie]

2. This is bullshit

For crying out loud, the guy got the Knicks to the Eastern Finals for the first time in over a decade.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. A Decade?

The last time the Knicks played in the Conference Finals was 2000. 25 years ago.
I heartily agree with your assessment of this move.