NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Tom Thibodeau was fired as coach of the New York Knicks on Tuesday, three days after his team was ousted from the NBA playoffs by the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks, who have not won the NBA title since 1973, fell to Indiana in six games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Finals, falling short of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 despite their best playoff run in 25 years.

Thibodeau spent five seasons as coach of the Knicks, guiding New York into the playoffs four times, this being their deepest run after losing in the second round the past two seasons. New York dethroned NBA 2024 champion Boston in round two.

The 67-year-old American, a former Chicago and Minnesota head coach, is 578-420 as an NBA coach and went 226-174 with the Knicks, who signed him to a three-year contract extension last year.

“Our organisation is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Knicks President Leon Rose said in a statement.

“This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction.

“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 organisation moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Thibodeau was a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, with Chicago in 2011 and the Knicks in 2021, and was an assistant coach on the staff of the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Among those who were Thibodeau supporters was actor and celebrity Knicks fan Ben Stiller, a familiar face in courtside seats during the playoffs.

“I am a Tom Thibodeau fan,” Stiller posted on X. “He brought this team back. I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve.

“I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him.”