OKLAHOMA CITY – Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle knows the coaching business inside-out.
Not only as a head coach in the NBA for 25 years but also as president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, which represents and supports the league’s coaches.
Carlisle wasn’t sure what to believe when news broke that the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on June 3.
“When I first saw it, I thought it was one of those fake AI (artificial intelligence) things. No way. There's no way possible,” Carlisle said June 4, the day before Game 1 of the NBA Finals between Indiana and Oklahoma City.
In five seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau, 67, went 226-174 and led the Knicks to the playoffs four times, including an Eastern Conference finals appearance this season, marking the first time in 25 seasons the Knicks advanced to the East finals.
