The New York Knicks have fired Tom Thibodeau as their head coach following their recent loss to the Indiana Pacers in the Easter Conference Finals.
The Pacers, coming into the series as the lower seed, were able to dispatch of the Knicks in six games.
Thibodeau would post four out of five winning seasons during his time with the Knicks. The last two years in the postseason, however, they were eliminated by the Pacers.
They were ousted by the Pacers last season in the second round in seven games.
"In a very real sense,'' says our NBA insider Mike Fisher, "coach Rick Carlisle's Pacers got Thibs fired.''
Despite the success in the regular season, critics would suggest that teams coached by Thibodeau never could seem to get over the hump of winning the ever-elusive championship. The Knicks organization here made a statement to emphasize that their focus remains on winning a championship.
They also believe that a new voice would be best moving forward.
A new coach and a new approach may be exactly what the team needs to take the next step. ... but not all Knicks fans are seeing it that way, as social media responses were quick and passionate.
The Knicks have all of their key players under contract for next year, such as Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns. This will give whoever the Knicks tap as the next head coach a good foundation to build upon.
They are only likley losing a few players from the bench such as Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa.
The search will begin almost immediately to provide a replacement for Thibodeau. It will also be something to watch to see where Thibodeau winds up, while the Pacers team that ultimately had his number moves onto the NBA Finals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder.