Knicks fire longtime head coach Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks are fresh off their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years, with Jalen Brunson and company defying the odds to be one of the two last teams left standing in the East.

Although the Knicks exceeded expectations during the NBA playoffs this year, the team decided to make a drastic change after being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in six games. The Knicks have officially parted ways with longtime head coach Tom Thibodeau, according to ESPN’s Chris Herring and Shams Charania.

Fresh off their deepest playoff run in 25 years, the New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday.

This move by New York was shocking, to say the least. Thibodeau helped turn this storied franchise around, while also seeing Brunson develop into a superstar and one of the best players in the team’s history.

Knicks president Leon Rose made the following statement after the team’s decision on Thibodeau’s future became public.

“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.”

It’ll be interesting to see what direction the Knicks go in from here on out, as the team is clearly in a championship window and has the opportunity to take advantage of a weak Eastern Conference in the years to come.