Basketball-Knicks fire Thibodeau after Eastern Conference defeat

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The New York Knicks have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, the team said on Tuesday, days after they were eliminated in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers.

Thibodeau led New York to the playoffs in four out of the five seasons he was in charge, getting the team to the penultimate stage of the postseason for the first time in a quarter century this year.

"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction,” Knicks President Leon Rose said in a statement.

"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."

Actor and director Ben Stiller - a Knicks super-fan and regular in Madison Square Garden's courtside "celebrity row" - said Thibodeau deserved respect for "incredible work" over five years.

"We should all take Thibs out to dinner and thank him profusely," Stiller wrote on X.

Knicks guard Josh Hart wrote on social media: "Forever Grateful."

The NBA Finals kick off on Thursday with the Pacers playing the Oklahoma City Thunder.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by Toby Davis)