Successful coaches getting fired never sits right with fans at first. The New York Knicks stunned many when they dismissed Tom Thibodeau just days after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. This marked their first appearance at that stage in 25 years. Think about what Thibodeau accomplished in his five seasons. Four playoff berths, three straight Eastern Conference Semifinals appearances, and back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995.
Here’s a number that really puts it in perspective – Thibodeau racked up 226 wins in five years. Compare that to the 238 wins that all Knicks coaches combined managed between 2012 and 2020. The man basically matched eight years of coaching futility in just five seasons. Yet this shocking move has some fascinating historical precedent. The Golden State Warriors once showed Mark Jackson the door despite his success, bringing in Steve Kerr instead. That decision sparked a dynasty that dominated basketball for years. On the flip side, teams fire championship coaches and never make their way back to the top. Knicks fans are desperately hoping their team follows the Warriors blueprint. The question everyone’s asking – was this bold move genius or madness?
The Knicks still owe Tom Thibodeau $30M guaranteed after recently signing an extension, per @IanBegley.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 4, 2025
Insane 😳 pic.twitter.com/Ni2T6l85cg
Tom Thibodeau leaves New York with four playoff series wins.
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 3, 2025
The Knicks had just one playoff series win since 2000 before Thibs arrived 😳 pic.twitter.com/vAMkDibYgd
How Thibodeau changed the Knicks’ culture
Tom Thibodeau’s firing ends a remarkable five-year run with the New York Knicks. His impact went way beyond the win column. The veteran coach walked into a situation where expectations couldn’t have been lower. Seven straight years without playoffs before Thibodeau arrived in 2020. That’s one of the darkest stretches in franchise history. Thibodeau got to work immediately, completely changing the team’s identity. His old-school approach became the foundation for everything. The demanding coach pushed his players toward excellence every single day. Thibodeau’s perfectionist mindset demanded 24/7 dedication from everyone. The culture shift paid off right away. During his first season, he coached the team to a 41-31 record and secured a top-four seed. Nobody saw that coming.
Players and fans genuinely loved what Thibodeau brought to the organization. Josh Hart put it perfectly on social media: “Forever grateful, thank you”. Jalen Brunson defended his coach publicly after they got eliminated. When someone asked if Thibodeau was the right person for the job, Brunson couldn’t believe it: “Is that a real question right now? Did you just ask me if I believe he’s the right guy? Yes”. Thibodeau’s legacy will only get better with time. He won 24 playoff games – that’s 17 more than the previous 13 coaches combined. The man brought this franchise back to respectability.
Why it was time for a new voice
Despite all these accomplishments, some red flags started popping up. Thibodeau leaned way too heavily on his starters. Five different Knicks averaged more than 35 minutes per game last season. That’s asking for trouble. The roster construction started clashing with Thibodeau’s philosophy. He prioritized defense, but the team featured offensive-minded players like Brunson and Towns. This mismatch created real problems.
Thibodeau couldn’t figure out a defensive scheme that worked with Brunson and Towns on the floor together. Their defense fell apart against Indiana in the conference finals. The inability to creatively counter predictable defensive tactics held them back. Thibodeau adapted some, but the offense still relied heavily on Brunson’s isolations without much ball movement. The organization made a tough call. Their statement said it all: “We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day… Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward”. The Knicks hope a coaching change can push their talented roster to championship level. Thibodeau built the foundation – now someone else gets to build on top of it.
2014-15 Golden State Warriors – Mark Jackson Laid the Foundation
The Warriors’ coaching change in 2014 stands as the gold standard for “successful coach firings” in NBA history. This move didn’t just change a team – it rewrote basketball history and created a dynasty that would own the sport for nearly a decade. Mark Jackson arrived in Golden State in 2011 as the first coaching hire by new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. The franchise he inherited? A disaster. The Warriors had made the playoffs just once in 17 years. That’s not a typo – once in nearly two decades. Jackson’s numbers tell the story of steady improvement. His 121-109 record over three seasons (.526 winning percentage) represented real progress for a historically awful franchise. Sure, his first lockout-shortened season went 23-43, but that was just the beginning.
Year two showed Jackson could build something special. The Warriors went 47-35 and grabbed the sixth seed in the brutal Western Conference. More importantly, this ended a six-year playoff drought that had tortured Bay Area fans. Jackson’s final season proved his best work yet. The Warriors notched 51 wins – their first 50-win season since 1993-94. He also delivered consecutive playoff appearances for the first time since 1992. Beyond wins and losses, Jackson deserves credit for player development. He guided the early careers of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. His defensive foundation would later become crucial to their championship success. Despite all this progress, Warriors management made a shocking call. On May 6, 2014, they fired Jackson. Their reasoning? The team needed “a different coach to win an NBA championship”.
Steve Kerr’s Immediate Impact
The Warriors signed Steve Kerr to a five-year, $25 million deal on May 14, 2014. Here’s the kicker – Kerr had never coached at any level. His basketball résumé included five championships as a player and the all-time three-point shooting record (.454), but zero coaching experience. Kerr’s approach to the transition showed remarkable emotional intelligence. According to Curry, Kerr “handled the transition from the previous coach so calmly and with an open mindset”. Instead of blowing everything up, Kerr made surgical adjustments.
The coaching staff Kerr assembled was perfect for a rookie head coach. Alvin Gentry ran the offense while Ron Adams anchored the defense. Results came immediately. The Warriors won their first five games of 2014-15. Then they went completely nuclear with a 16-game winning streak from November to December. This catapulted them to a franchise-best 21-2 start. What happened next was basketball perfection. Kerr’s Warriors finished with a league-best 67-15 record. This made them just the tenth NBA team in history to win 67 games. At home, they went 39-2 – the second-best home record in NBA history. Even on the road, they dominated with a 28-13 mark. The advanced stats were equally ridiculous. First in defensive efficiency, second in offensive efficiency. They weren’t just winning games; they were breaking basketball.
From No Experience to Dynasty
Kerr’s system blended Phil Jackson’s triangle offense with Gregg Popovich’s motion principles. The result was hybrid approach emphasizing ball movement, perimeter shooting, and suffocating defense. Stephen Curry exploded immediately, capturing the 2014-15 MVP award. This marked the first time a Warrior had won MVP since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960. Kerr’s playoff adjustments were the difference from Jackson’s tenure. His most famous move? Inserting Andre Iguodala into the starting lineup during the NBA Finals. This helped overcome a 2-1 deficit against Cleveland. The Warriors captured their first championship in 40 years. Iguodala earned Finals MVP despite never starting a regular season game. The team won 83 total games between regular season and playoffs.
Kerr shattered rookie coaching records left and right. He broke Paul Westphal’s record of 62 wins by a first-year coach. Kerr joined Paul Westhead and Pat Riley as the only coaches to win championships in their debut seasons.This championship was just the appetizer. Under Kerr’s guidance, the Warriors built a dynasty with four NBA titles through 2023-24. Their style of play changed basketball forever, making three-point shooting mandatory across the entire league. Looking back, replacing Jackson with Kerr represents organizational vision at its finest. The Warriors saw beyond immediate success toward championship potential. Their willingness to make an unpopular decision created basketball history and gave every franchise hope that the right coaching change can change everything.
2018-19 Toronto Raptors – Dwane Casey’s Coach of the Year firing
The Toronto Raptors pulled off one of the most shocking moves in recent NBA history. Firing a Coach of the Year winner. That’s exactly what they did in 2018, and it changed everything. Many fans knew Casey deserved better than how this whole thing went down. The man compiled a 320-238 record over seven seasons with the Raptors. Five straight playoff appearances, a franchise record. He was literally the winningest coach in team history and had just led Toronto to the Eastern Conference’s top seed in 2017-18.
The timing was absolutely brutal. May 11, 2018 – that’s when the Raptors showed Casey the door. Six weeks later? The man wins NBA Coach of the Year. Talk about awkward timing. You don’t see that very often – coaches getting fired and then winning the league’s top coaching honor.
Just look at what Casey accomplished:
- Franchise leader in regular-season games coached (397)
- Most regular-season wins (210) in team history
- Most playoff games coached (51) and wins (21)
Masai Ujiri called firing Casey “the toughest decision” of his life. But Ujiri believed the team needed fresh blood to get over the championship hump. Bold move, considering most franchises would kill for Casey’s track record.
Nick Nurse Takes the Helm
Here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of bringing in some big-name coach, the Raptors promoted from within. Nick Nurse had been Casey’s “offensive coordinator” for five seasons. Before Toronto, he was winning championships in the G League and coaching overseas. Not exactly your typical resume for an NBA head coach.Nurse brought something different to the table – pure creativity. Early on, he showed his willingness to experiment by rotating Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka based on matchups. Most coaches stick to rigid rotations. Not Nurse.
The Finals showcased his innovative thinking perfectly. That box-and-one defense against Stephen Curry? Nobody saw that coming. It became his signature – always thinking outside the box. What really set Nurse apart was his leadership philosophy. He actually read a coaching book called “Freedom in the Huddle” and implemented those democratic principles. Players got more say in decision-making, which built incredible team chemistry. The coaching change was just half the equation. Toronto made an even bigger gamble – trading DeMar DeRozan, their franchise cornerstone, for Kawhi Leonard on July 18, 2018. DeRozan was beloved in Toronto, and they traded him for a guy who’d played just nine games the previous season. Leonard’s playoff run was absolutely legendary. Averaged 30.9 points and 9.2 rebounds throughout the postseason.
The partnership between Nurse and Leonard delivered Toronto’s first NBA championship. Leonard earned Finals MVP honors with 28.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. His second Finals MVP with different teams. Looking back, firing a Coach of the Year winner seemed absolutely insane at the time. The Raptors proved it was genius. They even posted the league’s second-best record the next season despite Leonard leaving. For Knicks fans watching this unfold, Toronto’s blueprint offers serious hope. Sometimes you have to make the uncomfortable decision to reach that next level.
2017-18 Milwaukee Bucks – Giannis Tries to Save Jason Kidd
The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off one of the most dramatic mid-season moves in recent memory. Their 2018 coaching change sparked a rapid journey from playoff participant to NBA champion within three years. Talk about a coaching switch that actually worked out. Jason Kidd landed in Milwaukee through a pretty controversial trade with Brooklyn back in 2014. The Bucks sent two second-round picks just to acquire his coaching rights. His arrival sparked immediate improvement, taking the team from a franchise-worst 15-67 record to a respectable 41-41 mark in his first season. Kidd’s early days showed real promise with playoff appearances in two of his first three seasons. His biggest contribution? Moving Giannis Antetokounmpo to point guard – a decision that only accelerated the Greek Freak’s superstar trajectory.
But here’s where things got messy. The team’s performance stagnated with a 33-49 record in 2015-16. Kidd’s intense coaching style started creating serious tension. One former Bucks player described his methods as “psychological warfare”. The breaking point? Kidd scheduled a grueling three-hour practice on Christmas Eve. Who does that? With the team sitting at 23-22 midway through the 2017-18 season, Milwaukee pulled the trigger. They fired Kidd on January 22, 2018. The decision shocked Giannis, who reportedly tried to save his coach’s job. Sometimes loyalty isn’t enough.
Mike Budenholzer’s system
Mike Budenholzer showed up in summer 2018 with a completely different vision. His first move? Placing five blue boxes around the three-point arc on practice courts. These visual markers represented his five-out offensive system – a modern approach that would change everything. The transformation happened overnight. The Bucks’ three-point attempts skyrocketed from 24.7 per game (25th in NBA) to 37.8 (second-most). Space and pace became the new religion. Every possession started with all five players outside the three-point line. This system was perfect for Giannis. More spacing meant more driving lanes. His drives increased from 11.0 to 12.9 per game. His paint touches jumped from 5.3 to 6.5 per game. The Greek Freak was finally unleashed.
Check out these first-season results under Budenholzer:
- League-best 60-win record
- Led the conference with 113.2 points per 100 possessions
- Ranked first in defensive efficiency
- Best record in the entire NBA
MVP Giannis
Giannis absolutely thrived, winning back-to-back MVP awards under Budenholzer’s guidance. The system emphasized his role as a distributor too – he recorded a career-high 5.9 assists per game. The coaching change delivered Milwaukee’s first championship in 50 years. After playoff heartbreak in 2019 and 2020, Budenholzer made crucial adjustments.
The Bucks overcame a 2-0 deficit in the Finals. Giannis delivered one of the most legendary performances in Finals history – 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the clinching Game 6. During his five-year run, the Bucks compiled a 271-120 record (.693) – the best in the NBA across that span. He maximized Giannis’ unique talents and built a championship foundation. For the Knicks, Milwaukee’s experience shows both sides of the coin. A smart coaching change can elevate a talented roster to championship heights. Since Budenholzer has left Milwaukee, they have not been the same since. The key is making the change at the right time with the right person.
2003-04 Detroit Pistons – From Carlisle to Brown, From Contender to Champion
The Detroit Pistons pulled off what might be the most controversial coaching change in NBA history. Firing a coach who just won 50 games and made the conference finals? That’s exactly what Joe Dumars did in 2003, and fans were absolutely livid. Rick Carlisle had completely transformed a mediocre Pistons squad in just two seasons. The numbers tell the whole story – back-to-back 50-win seasons, consecutive Central Division titles, and an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2003. Let me repeat that – the man won COACH OF THE YEAR in his first season, then got fired after his second. Carlisle had established the Pistons’ defensive identity that would eventually define their championship run. He took a team that won just 32 games before his arrival and immediately doubled their win total. Yet Dumars believed something was missing offensively, and rumors swirled about Carlisle’s difficult personality behind closed doors.
Larry Brown’s Championship Pedigree
Enter Larry Brown – basketball’s ultimate nomad coach with a reputation for immediate impact. The man had already coached seven NBA teams before Detroit! His resume spoke for itself – NBA Finals appearance with the 76ers, NCAA championship with Kansas, and a reputation as the game’s premier teacher. Brown’s basketball philosophy was simple yet demanding: “Play the right way.” This meant emphasizing defense, ball movement, and fundamentally sound basketball.
The immediate results were… honestly kind of the same as Carlisle’s. The Pistons went 54-28 in Brown’s first season – just a two-game improvement. But everything changed mid-season when Dumars made the move that shocked everyone, trading for Rasheed Wallace. This wasn’t just any trade; it was the final puzzle piece that transformed a very good team into an absolute defensive juggernaut.
Watching this Pistons team was good team basketball. No superstars, just a perfectly balanced starting five playing suffocating defense. Ben Wallace anchored the paint, Chauncey Billups controlled the offense, Rip Hamilton ran defenders ragged through screens, Tayshaun Prince locked down wing scorers, and Rasheed provided the defensive communication and offensive versatility.
The 2004 Finals showcased Brown’s coaching brilliance. His defensive gameplan against the heavily-favored Lakers. While everyone expected Shaq and Kobe to steamroll Detroit, Brown’s Pistons shocked the world with a gentleman’s sweep in five games. For Knicks fans watching Thibs get fired, Detroit’s example offers legitimate hope. Sometimes a coaching change isn’t about finding someone “better” – it’s about finding the right fit at the right moment. The Pistons proved that championship-level defense combined with the right offensive approach can still win in this league.
1981-82 Los Angeles Lakers – Westhead’s Exit & Pat Riley’s Rise
The 1981-82 Los Angeles Lakers pulled off one of the most dramatic midseason coaching changes in NBA history. Paul Westhead walked into the 1981-82 season looking pretty solid on paper. The man had already guided the Lakers to an NBA championship in 1980 after taking over for injured coach Jack McKinney. His teams compiled a respectable 54-28 record the previous season.
But something wasn’t clicking. The Lakers started the new campaign with a modest 7-4 record. Most of those victories came by razor-thin margins – six wins by four points or fewer. Lakers owner Jerry Buss pulled the trigger on November 19, 1981. The timing was absolutely wild. Westhead’s firing came during a five-game winning streak. This made him the second Lakers coach dismissed in just two years. At the press conference, Buss awkwardly announced Jerry West and Pat Riley as co-coaches. West immediately set the record straight – he would serve under Riley. “I feel in my heart that he is the head coach,” West stated firmly.
The Showtime era
Here’s what made this crazy – Riley had zero head coaching experience before his promotion. He previously worked as a Lakers broadcaster before joining the coaching staff. The team absolutely took off under Riley’s leadership. The Lakers won 50 of their final 71 regular season games. Their offensive identity completely flipped. Riley brought back the up-tempo style that had previously brought success. The playoffs showcased their newfound dominance. The Lakers compiled an extraordinary 12-2 postseason record. They swept both Phoenix and San Antonio before defeating Philadelphia for the title.
Riley’s approach was pure Hollywood magic. His fashion sense – slicked-back hair and Italian suits – perfectly matched the team’s image. This stylistic flair aligned with owner Jerry Buss’s vision for entertainment. The “Showtime” offense became poetry in motion. Riley encouraged fast-breaking basketball that showcased Magic Johnson’s unique abilities. Yet their defensive excellence provided the foundation for everything else.
“No rebounds, no rings” became Riley’s signature saying.
He innovatively implemented a 1-3-1 half-court trap to speed up game tempo. This tactical flexibility kept opponents guessing throughout seasons. The championship validated Buss’s controversial decision completely. This title launched a dynasty. Under Riley, the Lakers eventually captured four championships. They became the first NBA team to win back-to-back titles since 1969. For current Knicks fans, this historical parallel offers real hope. Sometimes the most criticized coaching changes produce the greatest rewards. The Lakers’ midseason makeover proves how quickly everything can change with the right leadership.
2005-06 Miami Heat – Stan Van Gundy’s mid-season exit
Mid-season coaching changes almost never work out. The 2005-06 Miami Heat became the exception that proves the rule. Their dramatic leadership shift created one of basketball’s most unexpected championship stories. Stan Van Gundy resigned on December 12, 2005, after leading the Heat to an 11-10 start. Just 21 games into the season, and he was out. Van Gundy cited family concerns as his primary reason for stepping down.
“It’s the best job in the world, professionally, but it comes with a price, personally,” Van Gundy explained. The timing felt suspicious to everyone watching. You don’t just walk away from coaching Shaq and Wade because you miss family dinner. The rumors started immediately. Did Pat Riley orchestrate this whole thing? Van Gundy pushed back hard against those whispers. “I can’t believe people have that big a problem believing someone would want to spend time with their family,” he stated. He stuck around in an advisory role after stepping down, which only added more fuel to the conspiracy theories.
Shaquille O’Neal eventually spilled the real tea in his autobiography. “Stan got fired because Pat wanted to take over, not because I wanted him out,” O’Neal wrote. According to Shaq, Riley and Van Gundy were constantly butting heads over coaching decisions. The team’s early struggles didn’t help Van Gundy’s case. Most of their wins came by razor-thin margins. Plus, injuries had limited O’Neal to just three games during Van Gundy’s final stretch as coach. The writing was on the wall.
Pat Riley’s return to coaching
Riley played it coy at first. “That wasn’t my motivation at all,” Riley insisted. He claimed he spent six weeks trying to convince Van Gundy to stay. Sure, Pat. Nobody questioned Riley’s credentials. The man had compiled a 1,110-569 career record before this return. Four championships with the Lakers’ “Showtime” teams spoke for themselves. Riley’s first move was pure genius. During a road trip to Philadelphia, he canceled practice. Instead, he arranged a private screening of “Glory Road” for the team. Talk about reading the room perfectly.
This unexpected gesture broke all the tension among players. The film’s theme song, “People Get Ready,” became their unofficial anthem. Riley established immediate credibility through this approach. The real turning point came midseason in Dallas. The Heat got absolutely demolished by 36 points on national television. Riley confronted the team in the locker room afterward. Veteran guard Gary Payton stepped up to challenge Riley directly. “What are we going to do about this?” Payton demanded. Riley’s response became their rallying cry: “If you follow me and listen to me and just do what I tell you to do… we can win”.
Everything clicked after that exchange. Riley guided them to a 41-20 record for the remainder of the regular season. The momentum carried straight through the playoffs. The championship run culminated against the Dallas Mavericks. After losing the first two Finals games, Miami rattled off four straight wins. The franchise’s first NBA title was finally theirs. Riley’s confidence never wavered throughout the Finals. He famously packed just “one suit, one shirt, and one tie” for the Dallas trip. That’s the kind of quiet confidence that championships are built on.
How Wade & Shaq delivered a title
Dwyane Wade absolutely tortured the Mavericks in the 2006 Finals. I’m talking about the kind of performance that haunts your dreams. Wade dropped 34.7 points per game across six games, getting to the free throw line like he owned it. His drives to the basket were relentless – defenders knew what was coming but couldn’t stop it. Shaq provided the perfect partner in crime. His sheer size and presence overwhelmed whatever Dallas threw at him in the paint. The two of them orchestrated one of the most stunning comebacks in Finals history. Down 2-0, Miami rattled off four straight wins to steal the championship. That loss became the defining moment for Dallas. It exposed every weakness in their approach and changed how Mark Cuban viewed coaching decisions forever.
Dallas Mavericks – Avery Johnson Fired After 07-08 Season
The Dallas Mavericks’ championship journey is one of those stories that proves sometimes you need to get your heart broken before you can win it all. Their path involved devastating losses, bold coaching moves, and the kind of patience that most franchises don’t have. Avery Johnson had done everything right, at least on paper. He guided Dallas to the Finals in his first full season and coached them to a franchise-record 67 wins in 2006-07. Those are the kind of numbers that usually get coaches contract extensions, not pink slips.
But playoff failures have a way of erasing regular season success. The 2007 first-round exit against eighth-seeded Golden State was absolutely humiliating – one of those “We Believe” moments that crushed Dallas fans’ souls. When New Orleans bounced them in 2008, that sealed Johnson’s fate. Cuban pulled the trigger on April 30, 2008, despite Johnson’s ridiculous .735 regular season winning percentage. Classic Cuban move – championship or bust, no middle ground.
Why Rick Carlisle Was Hired
Rick Carlisle brought something Johnson couldn’t – tactical flexibility and that calm, cerebral approach. His track record in Detroit and Indiana showed he knew how to maximize veteran talent. Where Johnson was intense and emotional, Carlisle was measured and strategic. The front office loved his offensive creativity. Carlisle’s systems emphasized intelligent spacing and constant movement – stuff that played perfectly to Dallas’s personnel. His defensive principles were equally impressive. Most importantly, Carlisle clicked with Dirk Nowitzki immediately. That coach-superstar relationship became the foundation for everything that followed. Carlisle understood how to get the best out of aging stars.
2011 Championship
Three years later, Carlisle’s hiring looked like genius. He guided that aging Dallas roster through one of the most impressive playoff runs in NBA history. His strategic adjustments against LeBron James in the Finals were coaching masterclass material. Carlisle deployed zone defenses at exactly the right moments. His rotations squeezed every ounce of production from role players. Most importantly, his steady leadership kept everyone calm when things got crazy. The championship validated Cuban’s controversial coaching change. Dallas knocked off Miami in six games for their first title. That victory completed one of the most satisfying organizational turnarounds you’ll ever see. Carlisle stuck around until 2021 – a 13-year run that brought stability to the franchise. His championship blueprint offers hope for any team willing to make the tough coaching decisions.
2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers – David Blatt’s firing with a 30-11 record
Cleveland’s 2016 championship story started with one of the most controversial coaching decisions in recent memory. This move ultimately created one of basketball’s most incredible comeback narratives. Picture this scenario – you fire a coach while his team sits at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 30-11 record. That’s exactly what Cleveland did when they dismissed David Blatt on January 22, 2016. Blatt had compiled an impressive 83-40 (.675) record during his tenure. On paper, this looked absolutely insane. General Manager David Griffin tried to explain it as “a lack of fit with our personnel and our vision”. But here’s what was really happening behind closed doors. Many Cavaliers players felt Blatt was simply in over his head. The guy struggled with basic coaching fundamentals – calling plays, earning player respect, the works.
You’d watch him freeze during crucial timeouts, burning precious seconds. Sometimes he’d draw up plays for players who weren’t even on the court. During film sessions, Blatt would hesitate to call out star players even when they made obvious mistakes. That’s not going to cut it when you’re trying to win championships. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Blatt became the first coach fired while leading his conference since 1970. Think about how unprecedented that is. Cleveland was basically saying, “We don’t care about regular season success – we need someone who can get us to the promised land.”
Overcoming the 3-1 deficit against the Warriors
Tyronn Lue stepped right into the head coaching role without any interim nonsense. Cleveland signed him to a multi-year deal worth about $3 million annually. Lue had been working as the team’s associate head coach, so he knew the players. The difference was night and day. Lue wasn’t intimidated by anyone, including LeBron James. While Blatt tiptoed around star players, Lue held everyone accountable regardless of their status. That’s the kind of leadership championship teams require.
Once the playoffs started, he became the first head coach to win his first 10 postseason games. His calm approach and smart adjustments earned James’ consistent praise.
Check out Lue’s remarkable achievements:
- Fourth-youngest head coach to win an NBA title
- Just the third coach to win a championship after mid-season promotion
- Led Cleveland through Detroit, Atlanta, and Toronto en route to Finals
The Finals matchup against the 73-win Warriors looked impossible after falling behind 3-1. No team had ever come back from that deficit in Finals history. Lue’s defensive schemes became the key to everything. Cleveland held Golden State to just 89 points in Game 7. On the Warriors’ home court, no less. That’s championship-level coaching right there. Cleveland became the first team ever to overcome a 3-1 Finals deficit. They also joined just three other teams to win a Finals Game 7 on the road. This victory ended Cleveland’s brutal 52-year championship drought. Sometimes a talented roster just needs the right voice to unlock championship potential. Cleveland’s.
Learning from History: Will the Knicks Follow the Warriors’ Path?
The Thibodeau firing has Knicks fans split on the optics of all the changes that need to be made. Some see it as organizational madness. Others view it as the bold move that finally gets them over the hump. History tells us this could go either way. Look at the track record. Golden State ditched Mark Jackson and got four championships with Steve Kerr. Toronto fired a Coach of the Year winner in Dwane Casey and immediately won their first title with Nick Nurse. Milwaukee swapped Jason Kidd for Mike Budenholzer and ended a 50-year championship drought. Pat Riley’s midseason takeovers? Pure magic in both Los Angeles and Miami. Each situation had one thing in common – the right coach for the right roster at the right time.
Thibodeau absolutely deserves his flowers for what he accomplished. The man brought respectability back to Madison Square Garden when nobody believed it was possible. His defensive culture and work ethic created the foundation. Now someone else gets to build the championship structure on top of it.
The risk is real though. Coaching changes can backfire spectacularly. Sometimes the grass isn’t greener, and you end up missing what you had. For Knicks fans, patience is going to be the key here. This franchise has been through decades of disappointment. They’re sitting on their most talented roster in years with Brunson, Towns, and a supporting cast that can compete with anyone. The next hire could be the final piece that brings a championship back to New York. History shows us that bold moves sometimes create dynasties. Other times they create regret. The Knicks just rolled the dice on their future. Time to see if they hit the jackpot or crapped out.
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