New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau credited Indiana’s execution and pace as key factors in his team’s elimination from the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
Following the Knicks’ 125-108 loss in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Thibodeau opened his postgame press conference by acknowledging the Pacers’ performance.
“First I want to just congratulate Rick and his staff on a great season,” Thibodeau said. “They played a terrific series.”
New York allowed Indiana to break open the game with a run just before halftime and never recovered.
“They got into the open floor, and that was a problem,” Thibodeau explained. “Some of it was our own doing, some of it was their ball pressure.”
Despite disappointment over the result, Thibodeau emphasized that the Knicks made progress this season.
“We finished in the top three, but we’re falling short of the ultimate goal,” he said. “It’s improvement from last year, but it’s ultimately not what our ultimate goal is.”
The Pacers forced 17 turnovers and held New York to just 28.1 percent from three-point range, with the Knicks struggling to keep up after Indiana’s third-quarter surge.
When asked about the team’s next steps, Thibodeau focused on the offseason.
“You take a step back — I think decompress, you do a deep dive on the team,” he said. “It’s a big offseason for us.”
The veteran coach stood by his roster, praising their resilience through a season filled with injuries and adjustments.
“I’m proud of what these guys did because there was a lot that we had to get through,” Thibodeau said, citing absences from Mitchell Robinson, Jalen Brunson, and others.
Thibodeau also praised Pascal Siakam, who was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP after scoring 31 points in Game 6.
“He’s a very gifted player,” Thibodeau said. “He played a terrific series.”
Reflecting on the entire matchup, Thibodeau pointed to the fine margins that define playoff success.
“Oftentimes these things come down to one or two possessions,” he said. “That’s why everything does matter — how you practice, your free throws, film sessions.”
He added that internal development will be a central focus moving forward.
“You look at your team, and I think you analyze what the strengths and weaknesses of the team are,” Thibodeau said. “We’re not just going to do something to do something.”
As for Indiana, the win sends the Pacers to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, where they will face the Oklahoma City Thunder.
New York, meanwhile, ends its season one step short of the Finals for the second time in three years under Thibodeau’s leadership.
