NEW YORK — Tom Thibodeau just took the New York Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals, the deepest playoff march in 25 years for a franchise that re-emerged as a contender after he became their coach.

For that, he was fired.

The Knicks made what they called a “difficult decision” to move on from Thibodeau on Tuesday, believing it was a necessary step in their chase for a championship.

“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,” team president Leon Rose said in a statement.

“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.”

Knicks Seek New Direction Despite Success

The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 on Saturday night, falling two games short of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. Thibodeau was then asked what the Knicks needed to do this summer to go further.

“Like you would do after every season, you take a step back, I think decompress,” Thibodeau said. “You do a deep dive on the team and then you analyze what you think you need to improve upon.”

The Knicks decided it was the coach.

The move was made by Rose with approval from owner Jim Dolan, according to a person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because that detail was not included in the announcement. The firing was first reported by ESPN.

It’s a strange decision by the Knicks, who had been one of the league’s worst franchises for most of the 2000s until Thibodeau was hired in 2020. He promptly led the Knicks to the playoffs in his first season, winning his second NBA Coach of the Year award, and they have been a solid contender in the East in recent seasons. They gave Thibodeau a three-year contract extension last summer.

Players Express Support for Departed Coach

Their big breakthrough came in 2024-25, when they knocked off defending champion Boston in the second round to reach the conference finals for the first time since 2000 — when Thibodeau was an assistant under Jeff Van Gundy.

After they were eliminated Saturday, captain Jalen Brunson expressed his support for Thibodeau, bristling at a question about whether he believed the coach was right for the team.

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

Three days later, Thibodeau was gone despite a 226-174 record in New York. He has the fourth-most wins by a Knicks coach.

Thibodeau faced criticisms that his hard-driving style and overreliance on his starters wore down his players, the same ones that have followed him since the beginning of his head coaching career in Chicago. But his ways seemed to be working in New York.

And even among the celebrities that filled Madison Square Garden, Thibodeau’s gruff style was a natural fit for fans who longed for the defense-driven success of the 1990s.

Organization Seeks Championship-Level Change

“I am a Tom Thibodeau fan. He brought this team back,” actor Ben Stiller, who watched the postseason run from his courtside seat, wrote on X. “I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve. I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him.”

The Knicks hadn’t won a playoff series since 2013 but now have done it in three straight seasons. They went 50-32 in 2023-24 and followed that with a 51-31 record this season, having loaded up in the offseason by trading for All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges.

But the person said the organization felt there was a need for a new voice when the Knicks try again to end their lengthy championship drought. They won their second and last title in 1973.

Thibodeau is well aware of their history, having grown up as a Knicks fan in Connecticut before joining the organization as an assistant coach in 1996.

He went on to help the Boston Celtics win the 2008 NBA title as an assistant, earning a reputation as one of the league’s top defensive minds, before finally getting a chance as a head coach with the Bulls in 2010-11. He went 62-20 in his first season, earning his first Coach of the Year award.

Thibodeau, who spent five seasons with the Bulls and also coached Minnesota, is 578-420 as a head coach.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba