Report: Knicks Had Multiple Players-Only Meetings In 2025 Playoffs

According to James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz of The Athletic, the New York Knicks had multiple players-only meetings in the 2025 playoffs. 

The Knicks beat the Detroit Pistons in the first round in six games and the Boston Celtics in the second round in six games before losing to the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals in six games. 

“New York organized multiple players-only meetings after embarrassing defeats throughout this postseason run, all with various degrees of intensity, per league sources. It’s not uncommon for teams to hold meetings without coaches, but it is rare for squads that went as far as the Knicks did to do it as often as they did during the playoffs, and for the kick-in-the-behind reasons they occasionally deemed necessary,” Edwards III and Katz wrote. 

The Knicks made the conference finals this year for the first time since 2000. They made two big trades in 2024, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

“In March, Bridges violated one of the no-nos in playing for Tom Thibodeau, questioning the heavy minutes the starters played under the coach during a news conference with reporters. The comments rubbed the coaching staff the wrong way, sources said, and showed a disconnect,” Edwards III and Katz wrote. 

Bridges becomes eligible for a four-year, $156 million extension before next season. New York traded five first-round picks to Brooklyn for the forward.