Category: New York Knicks Blog

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Knicks fire head coach Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks have relieved head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties.

“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,” said Knicks President Leon Rose. “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. 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.”

Via the NY Post:

Thibodeau, after all, set a high bar in his five seasons. He took over a franchise in the dumps in 2020 and guided it to four postseasons with four series victories, including the high-water mark just last month by besting the Celtics.

But as it happened previously in Minnesota and Chicago for Thibs — who was fired from those spots despite solid basketball results — relationship and communication issues surfaced.

Part of what makes Thibodeau a great coach also turns him into a grating boss — it’s his unyielding commitment to the job, and without much compassion for emotions outside of it, plus an unwavering belief that he’s correct.

There’s also less give-and-take with Thibodeau, who isn’t known as a collaborative coach.

That can turn off the new-age player and, according to sources, multiple Knicks were frustrated with the coach.

Via the NY Daily News:

Under Thibodeau, the Knicks reestablished a winning culture, snapped a seven-year playoff drought, and made back-to-back second-round appearances before breaking through to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.

But the front office gave Thibodeau weapons he failed to maximize — assets that cost five first-round picks (Mikal Bridges) and two core rotation players (Karl-Anthony Towns) — only for a healthier, upgraded version of last year’s team to once again fall to the same Pacers.

Now, the Knicks are searching for a head coach who can better elevate the talent at hand — though roster changes are all but inevitable in what’s already shaping up to be one of the most active NBA offseasons in recent memory.

Whoever takes over next will need a sharper vision for how this Knicks offense should function.

A very successful Knicks season is complete

The New York Knicks had, by any standard, what should be considered a successful season. They were solid in the regular season, overachieved a bit in the playoffs, and finished just two wins short of an NBA Finals appearance.

Via the NY Post:

This was not about a moral victory.

It wasn’t about taking solace in anything after a hard-fought series.

Jalen Brunson wanted to make that clear.

He didn’t view the Knicks reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years as any sort of achievement.

The Knicks captain, however, felt it was appropriate to acknowledge what went right this year for the Knicks, even if they fell six wins short of their ultimate goal.

“I’m not sure ‘accomplished’ is the word I would use here, but I think the way this team progressed this year, for me it was fun,” Brunson said after the Knicks were eliminated by the Pacers in six games Saturday night. “There were a lot of people saying we couldn’t do a lot of things. A lot of negativity around what we were trying to accomplish and the way we put blinders on and went to work, that’s something I was proud of with this team. I’m proud of how we stayed the course.”

Knick fans can certainly be, understandably, disappointed that the team fell short of a finals appearance, but they should realize that their squad did them proud.

Knicks notes heading into Game 2 against Celtics

On Monday, the Knicks won Game 1 of their second round playoff series on the road in Boston against the Celtics, 108-105.

Jalen Brunson recorded 29 points, five assists, two steals and five made three-pointers. This marked his 22nd playoff game as a Knick with 25+ points, which ranks third in Knicks history and only trails Patrick Ewing (43) and Walt Frazier (29). Brunson also passed Dick Barnett (922) for 9th on the Knicks all time playoff scoring list.

Brunson scored 20 points on 60-percent shooting and four made three-pointers on 100-percent three-point shooting in the second half. This marked his 14th second half in the playoffs as a Knick with 20+ points, which ranks first in Knicks history since the NBA started tracking quarter stats in 1996-97.

OG Anunoby registered 29 points, four rebounds and one steal, marking his fourth career playoff game with 25+ points. Anunoby also set a playoff career high with six made three-pointers.

Anunoby scored 20 points in the second half, marking his second career half in the playoffs with 20+ points.

Mikal Bridges recorded eight points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks, marking his third career playoff game with multiple blocks and multiple steals.

Bridges added two steals in overtime, becoming the first Knick since the NBA started tracking quarter stats in 1996-97 to have multiple steals in a playoff overtime.

The Knicks rallied back from a 20-point deficit against the Celtics, marking their largest playoff comeback since 1969-70.

Jalen Brunson wins 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of Year award

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson is the recipient of the Jerry West Trophy as winner of the 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of the Year award.

The award, which was first presented in the 2022-23 season, honors the NBA player who best comes through for his teammates late in close games. A global media panel of 100 voters selected the winner based on nominations from NBA head coaches.

In the 2024-25 regular season, Brunson averaged an NBA-high 5.6 points in clutch situations, which are defined as possessions in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime when the score is within five points. In those instances, he also led the league in field goals made (52) and ranked second in total points (156) and third in total assists (28).

Brunson shot 51.5% from the field and 84.0% from the free throw line in clutch time. In the 28 clutch games in which he played, the Knicks had a record of 17-11.

Overall, Brunson averaged 26.0 points and 7.3 assists in 35.4 minutes in 65 games this season. He ranked eighth in the NBA in both points and assists per game. Brunson was selected as an NBA All-Star for the second season in a row.

Knicks and Sixers to play two October 2025 preseason games in Abu Dhabi

The NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) today announced that The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 will feature the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers playing preseason games on Thursday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 4 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

The Knicks currently feature two-time NBA All-Star Jalen Brunson, five-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns and 2022 NBA All-Defensive First Team member Mikal Bridges. Bridges and Brunson previously played in Abu Dhabi as members of the USA Basketball (USAB) Men’s National Team prior to the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Towns participated in The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The 76ers currently feature 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player and seven-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid, nine-time NBA All-Star Paul George and 2024 NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey. Embiid previously played in Abu Dhabi as a member of the USAB Men’s National Team prior to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 will air live in the UAE, across the Middle East and around the world, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media.

Knicks sign P.J. Tucker for remainder of season

The New York Knicks have signed P.J. Tucker for the remainder of the season.

Tucker, 39-years-old (6-5, 245-pounds), returns to New York after signing consecutive 10-Day contracts with the Knicks. He appeared in one game for the Knicks this season. Last season Tucker appeared in 31 games (10 starts) with the 76ers and Clippers, recording 1.7 points (37.1% 3PT%) and 2.7 rebounds over 15.7 minutes. Tucker, over his 13-year career, has made at least 50 three-pointers and recorded at least 50 steals nine times each. He holds career averages of 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals over 28.2 minutes in 884 games (666 starts) for the Raptors, Suns, Rockets, Bucks, Heat, 76ers and Clippers.

Delon Wright traded to Knicks

The New York Knicks announced yesterday that the team has acquired Delon Wright, the draft rights to Hugo Besson and cash considerations from the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a multi-team trade.

In exchange, the team has traded Jericho Sims to the Milwaukee Bucks and the draft rights to Mathias Lessort to the Washington Wizards.

Wright, 32-years old (6-5, 185-pounds), has appeared in 26 games with the Milwaukee Bucks this season, recording 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists over 15.6 minutes. He recorded a season-high nine points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals vs. Chicago (Dec 23, 2024). Wright is one of 14 players in the NBA to record five steals off the bench this season. He holds career averages of 6.7 points on 44.6-percent shooting, 3.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals over 20.5 minutes in 534 games (87 starts) over 10 seasons with the Raptors, Grizzlies, Mavericks, Pistons, Kings, Hawks, Wizards, Heat and Bucks.

Mikal Bridges continues to struggle for Knicks

Per the NY Post:

After another ride on the struggle bus for Mikal Bridges on Friday afternoon — which included the guard being benched for most of the fourth quarter of a nip-and-tuck Knicks victory — he pledged, “I’ll be better” as teammates and coach forcefully went to bat for the embattled guard.

“I’m not worried about [Bridges],” Josh Hart said. “I think the media and people are killing him. He’s in a new situation. He’s in a situation where he’s played 19 games in a different role that he’s played the last four years. So it’s our job to get him going. And all the other BS about what we gave up [the five first-round picks to the Nets], it means nothing.

“If we win, if we get a championship, ain’t nobody give a damn about how many picks we gave up. We could’ve given up 15 picks, it don’t matter. At the end of the day, we’re trying to win a championship. He’s going to be a key piece of that.”

Injury concern for Knicks iron man Josh Hart

Per the NY Post:

It is always surprising — even jarring — to see Josh Hart come out of a game, especially during the playoffs.

Asking out is something else entirely.

The Knicks’ iron man suffered an injury to his abdominal area Friday night in the first quarter of a series-tying 116-103 loss in Game 6 against the Pacers.

Hart, who already has played four complete games in the Knicks’ first 12 of the postseason, even appeared to motion to the bench to be removed nearly midway through the third quarter.

FULL ARTICLE

Pacers win at home, force a Game 7 with Knicks

Per the Indianapolis Star:

After a miserable performance in Game 5 put them on the brink of elimination, the Pacers dominated in all the areas they flopped on Tuesday, pounding the Knicks 116-103 in Game 6 on Friday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to tie the series 3-3 and force a Game 7.

The deciding game will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. The winner plays the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals…

The Knicks decision to go small starting in Game 5 with Miles McBride inserted into the starting lineup and Josh Hart moved from small to power forward gave the Pacers an obvious size advantage in the frontcourt. They didn’t exploit it nearly as much as they intended to in Game 5, but it Game 6 they had a lot more opportunities and they took advantage.

FULL ARTICLE