Oklahoma City – Indiana pacers coach Rick Carlisle thought that the news of the Knicks pulling Tom Thibodeau was “one of these false AI things” at the beginning.
“No means. There is no way possible,” said Carlisle on Wednesday on the day of the NBA final. “I have great respect for the Thibs. I come back with him very far. I was surprised. “
Carlisle’s Pacers was the last team against which Thibodeau led to the realization of the Knicks, the Indiana eliminating New York in match 6 of the finals of the Eastern Conference in Indianapolis. Two days later, the Knicks relieved Thibodeau from his duties, suggesting that a change was necessary for New York to pass the next step to win a championship.
The Pacers, on the other hand, will play Oklahoma City in match 1 of the NBA final at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Carlisle is not only a friend and colleague from Thibodeau, but he is also president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, a sales group for professional and collegial coaches. So when there is never a surprise dismissal – and in the NBA, it happens all the time – Carlisle is often questioned on this subject.
For a certain context, the head coaches who won the NBA titles in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023 are no longer employed by the teams they guided towards titles, a testimony to the way the industry is reaching the ultimate goal does not provide much job security. Among the coaches who won the final during these years and were then dismissed, only Nick Nursee fired in Toronto for more than three seasons after a championship, with its upcoming title in 2019.
“I always say shocked – sometimes you are numb and you are not shocked,” said Carlisle, who has the Pacers in the NBA final (as a seeded n ° 4) for the first time since 2000. “The Knicks have such a unique situation with so much attention and such a large base of fans and such a suite in the world, it is one of the most difficult jobs. A very effective race.
“There were many years ago,” said Carlisle. “Thibs went there and changed so much.”
In five seasons in New York, Thibodeau went 224-176 in the regular season and 24-23 in the playoffs. The Knicks entered the tournament of this year as seeded n ° 3 after being 0-10 against the three best teams in the League during the regular season. But the Knicks survived their first round series against Detroit, then upset the Boston Celtics in defense to go to the conference final for the first time in 25 years.
“I know what players also think for him, so there is not much else to say,” said Carlisle. “I mean, the teams and the property can make these decisions unilaterally, and it is their right to do so.
“So, Tom will certainly go well,” said Carlisle. “I don’t think he will have no problem finding his next job. It will just depend when he is ready to jump again. ”
(Photo: Wendell Cruz / Imagn images)
