Thibodeau pressed some of the right buttons during the Eastern Conference finals. One of the most prominent was adding guards Delon Wright and Landry Shamet to the rotation, and he watched it pay off as the Knicks piled up stops almost instantly against a previously unstoppable Indiana group.

New York announced that the decision was determined by the team being "singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans."

The New York Knicks had the worst record in the league from 2001-02 through the end of their last season without Tom Thibodeau. Over the last five seasons, all under Thibodeau, they've made the playoffs four times,