Pacers' Rick Carlisle Reacts to Knicks Firing Tom Thibodeau

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 4:15 PM ET

The New York Knicks made the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, just days after being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference finals.

The news came as a surprise to many, considering the Knicks hadn’t reached the Eastern Conference finals since 2000. Thibodeau took the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons, and, prior to his arrival, they had gone seven years without a postseason appearance.

With the Pacers now in the NBA Finals, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle spoke at Media Day on Wednesday and addressed the Knicks' decision to part ways with Thibodeau.

Carlisle admitted he was "surprised" but "teams and ownership can make these decisions unilaterally and it's their right to do that."

"What happened yesterday, when I first saw it, it came over one of the — I thought it was one of those fake Al things," Carlisle said. "No way. No way possible. And I know how the players feel about him, too. There's not much else to say. Teams and ownership can make these decisions unilaterally and it's their right to do that. And so, Tom will certainly be fine. I don't think he's going to have any problem finding his next job. It's just going to depend on when he's ready to jump back in again. I have great respect for Thibs. I go back with him a very long way. I was surprised."

"When I first saw it...I thought it was one of those fake AI things" - Rick Carlisle on Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau pic.twitter.com/pAPsKKxxiL
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 4, 2025

Across his five seasons in New York, Thibodeau posted a record of 226-174. The 67-year-old's time with the Knicks marked the third NBA team he’s served as head coach. The other two were the Chicago Bulls (five seasons) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (three seasons).

Thibodeau is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year (2011 and 2021) and won an NBA title as an assistant coach in 2008 with the Boston Celtics.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday on ESPN.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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