It's not easy to get the more than 8 million people who live in New York City--and the millions more who live in its environs--to agree on much of anything. But putting Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau in front of a microphone after a loss seems to do it.
And on Saturday, the Knicks suffered a doozy of a loss, calling, 125-108, to the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, ending their season after a mostly successful run to a 51-game record and a round farther in the playoffs than the Knicks reached last year, when they were eliminated in the conference semifinals.
Thibodeau tried to maintain that perspective in meeting with the media after the game, and suggested that the injury to Mitchell Robinson, out most of the year with an ankle injury, and a late-season injury for Jalen Brunson, factored into the Knicks' fate.
"I'm proud of what these guys did," Thibodeau said. "Because there was a lot we had to get through. And I thought we handled that part well. Mitch being out for a good chunk of the season, we got that prognosis late, so we had to adjust. And then we made the trade for KAT (Karl-Anthony Towns) and got him in. And then Precious (Achiuwa) was hurt in the beginning and Landry (Shamet) was hurt at the beginning, so we had to get through that.
"Then we also had to handle Jalen going out at the end of the season, so there were a lot of moving parts. But they kept fighting and moving forward. I've got great respect for that."
May 31, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau looks on prior to game six of the eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau looks on prior to game six of the eastern conference finals against the Indiana Pacers for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
It's understandable that Thibodeau would try to wrap the season with a positive outlook. But Knicks fans who have gotten weary of coming up short with Thibodeau at the helm were clearly in no mood to hear laments over how missing Landry Shamet for two months last fall hurt the Knicks in May.
Knicks commenters were just about unanimous in calling for Thibodeau to be fired.
One wrote: "Thibs can’t be coaching next year If he is, nothing will change."
One said, bluntly: "I hope you're out by the end of june."
Another posted: "Thank you for your contributions, Thibs. Best of luck in your future endeavors."
Another even had the next coach picked out: "Next press conference introducing new head coach Michael Malone."