In the aftermath of their Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers, the New York Knicks front office decided to go a different direction on the coaching front, relieving Tom Thibodeau of his duties after five years at the helm. Knicks president Leon Rose justified this decision by essentially saying that they do not believe that Thibodeau is the right man to take them to the championship level.

Whatever the case may be, one thing's for sure: Thibodeau turned around the Knicks and instilled a winning culture in the Big Apple. They made the playoffs four times in five seasons under Thibodeau, and they have a pathway to sustained success even if they kept him for the next few seasons.

And one of Thibodeau's favorite former players, Taj Gibson, showed that he has his former head coach's back by firing a defiant message in support of the recently fired Knicks coach.

“Charge it to the game!!! Proud of Thibs, through all the bulls**t!! Never pointed fingers, just worked and worked!!! [Too] many bad takes!!! But hey, it's the 😎 business!!! Accountability!!!” Gibson wrote as the caption on his Instagram story of a picture of him and Thibodeau.

Gibson has believed in Thibodeau since day one, and it's thanks in large part to how much of Gibson's best was brought out by his former head coach. It was Thibodeau who coached Gibson when he began his career with the Chicago Bulls, Gibson decided to sign with the Thibs-coached Minnesota Timberwolves in 2017, and then Thibodeau followed him to New York in 2020.

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Thibodeau's coaching style may not be for anyone, but it's clear that he has many players in his corner who recognize just how much value he brings to the table as a team's head coach.

An ode to Tom Thibodeau's successful Knicks stint

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shakes hands with New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau as he exits the game during the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Madison Square Garden.
Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Thibodeau has a few coaching tendencies that have made him into a meme. He runs his players into the ground and seems to be very inflexible as a head coach. But he knows how to win, and his presence was very much needed for a Knicks franchise that lost its way for the majority of the 21st century thus far.

From 2023 to 2025, the Knicks made it past the second round, and every season, they improved. In 2021, not too many expected them to make the playoffs, yet they did as the fourth-seed. And whichever team brings in Thibodeau next will know firsthand that winning is, indeed, a part of his DNA.