Just one season ago, Tom Thibodeau helped guide the Knicks to the next step—the franchise made its first appearance in the Eastern Conference finals since 2000. New York was eliminated in the second round in the two seasons prior to that, which made falling two wins short of the NBA Finals a step in the right direction.
However, that wasn’t good enough for the franchise that had already mortgaged its future to put Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges alongside Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. The Knicks needed to make a true run at the title, and they needed to do it quickly, prompting Thibodeau’s firing after five seasons in charge.
