Tom Thibodeau's firing brought back some of the confusion and chaos the New York Knicks had seemingly left behind.
After an era of stability and more success than they had enjoyed in a quarter of a century, the Knicks opened a coaching search few could have predicted when they fired Thibodeau on Tuesday .
"When I first saw it, I thought it was one of those fake AI things. No way. There's no way possible," Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.
Coaching searches weren't unusual in New York for much of the 2000s, but the Knicks weren't winning then. This time, they had just reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years before losing to Carlisle's team, and were an early favorite to do it again next year. So changing course brought swift and strong reaction from a fan base that seemed satisfied.
Who decided Thibodeau had to go? And why?