New York head coach Tom Thibodeau made some huge changes to his approach for an eventual series win over Boston.
For the first time since 2000, the New York Knicks have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Under the ownership of James Dolan, New York has struggled throughout most of the 21st century. Prior to its hiring of current head coach Tom Thibodeau ahead of the 2020-21 season, the team had only made the playoffs in five of 20 seasons and had only won a single playoff series in 2012-13.
Hired by his former agent Leon Rose, now New York’s general manager, Thibodeau set to work turning the team’s identity around, modernizing its offense and empowering then-power forward Julius Randle as a distributor.
During his first season at the helm, Thibodeau coached the club to a 41-31 record (it was a 72-game season due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and a top-four seed.
Although New York missed the postseason in 2021-22, it has made the second round across each of the past three seasons.
