Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau as coach after five seasons

New York Knicks have decided to part ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons. Thibodeau led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals, but they were knocked out by the Indiana Pacers by 4-2 in the series.

Three days after their elimination, the Knicks decided to sack their coach, who took them to their deepest playoff run in 25 years.

The Knicks had knocked out the reigning champions Boston Celtics, in the second round of the playoffs.

Tom had also signed a three-year extension with the team over the summer. He led the team to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement. “This pursuit led us to the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction. We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach.

“… Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

After the season-ending defeat in Indiana, the team’s superstar Jalen Brunson was asked about Thibodeau’s job status.

“Is that a real question right now?” Brunson said. “You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy? Yes. Come on.”

Before the Knicks, Tom coached the Chicago Bulls (2010-15) and Timberwolves (2016-19). He has a .579 career winning percentage, the highest by any coach without making it to the NBA Finals in history.