New York Knicks unexpectedly fire coach Tom Thibodeau after losing in third round of playoffs

The New York Knicks on Tuesday fired their head coach, Tom Thibodeau, after the team advanced to the third round of the NBA playoffs before losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games. 

The Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years last month, before losing to the Pacers 4-2 in the series. The Knicks had made the playoffs in four of the five years Thibodeau led the team, according to the New York Post.

The decision to eliminate the head coach was reportedly made by team president Leon Rose, who said he was focused on helping the Knicks win the championship.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” Rose said in a statement. “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. 

"He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories," he continued. "Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

No successor has been announced so far.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.