The New York Knicks’ 2024-25 NBA season has come to a close as they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Of course, the Knicks dug themselves into a 2-0 hole after losing the first two games of the series at home at Madison Square Garden and they were never able to climb out of it.
New York was able to steal a road victory in Game 3 and then win at home in Game 5 to extend the series but Indiana was able to take over in the second half of Game 6 to grab a dominant victory that sends them to the NBA Finals.
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) against the Phoenix Suns.
New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center.
© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
With the Knicks’ season now over, fans have begun to place blame for their playoff exit with many targeting head coach Tom Thibodeau and star center Karl-Anthony Towns.
Despite this, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith assigned blame to a different person within the Knicks’ organization.
“I'm not gonna point the finger at Tom Thibodeau... I'm looking at Leon Rose. This trade for Mikal Bridges is going to come back to haunt this team,” Smith said.
Smith clearly is blaming Rose, who is the president of basketball operations for the Knicks, for the New York’s playoff exit along with Bridges.
Of course, Bridges had an underwhelming regular season and his numbers then dipped again during the playoffs as he averaged only 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 45.6% from the field and 33.3% from three-point range.
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges
New York Knicks forward Mikal Bridges
© Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
This is not what New York had in mind when they unloaded five first-round picks for him in the offseason in a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, which has been an extremely scrutinized trade after his disappointing season.
Despite this, Bridges did come up clutch at times during the Knicks’ playoff run, especially with two key defensive plays during their series against the Boston Celtics, but the trade for him has looked even worse and Smith is placing the blame on him and Rose for their playoff exit.