The Indiana Pacers' incredible run continued with them taking a 2-1 series lead in the NBA Finals against the heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder. It has been the theme for the Pacers in every series. They get doubted and then prove the doubters wrong. The run has also proved that the Knicks made the right decision to move on from Tom Thibodeau, for one simple reason: you need a coach who is able to maximize the talent on the roster.
Thibodeau is, by all accounts, a brilliant coach. He has helped mold Jalen Brunson into an All-NBA star, turned the culture around in New York, provided years of stability, and led them further in the playoffs than any coach had in multiple decades. That said, he is hard-headed, which hindered his ability to ever maximize the skill he had on his roster, at least not in a way that worked with one another.
After watching the Knicks all season, it would be easy to say, "Oh, Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns can't work together, let's move off Towns for a different star." The harder thing to do is say, "Maybe those two were never put in positions to succeed to the best of their abilities." We rarely, if ever, saw the Knicks try to play with a five-out offense, which is an unmitigated failure on Thibodeau's part.
The Pacers are the perfect example
There may not have been a single series all playoffs where the Pacers were the more skilled team on paper. First, they had to take down Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, then a stacked Cavaliers team who had the best record in the Eastern Conference, then the Knicks, who looked poised to get to the Finals after defeating the Boston Celtics. Now, finally, they are up 2-1 against the Thunder, who many believe have the best roster in basketball.
Now, one could argue that Lillard wasn't himself, first returning from a blood clot and then tearing his Achilles. Additionally, the Cavs faced numerous injuries themselves, with multiple starters missing time. While those are fair pushbacks, there is an element of luck in every single playoff run. Players get hurt, and it should not diminish all that the Pacers have accomplished.
One of the biggest reasons that the Pacers have been able to punch up all playoffs is that Rick Carlisle has shown an incredible ability to not only put his players in the position to succeed, but to maximize every ounce of talent on his roster. From getting his roster into the best shape of any team in the league, to turning players that were cast aside by their previous teams, like Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin, into key contributors.
It is not enough to have a brilliant basketball mind; you have to have an understanding of the players on your roster and the ability to change your philosophy to fit those players. Thibodeau wasn't able to do that, and for that, the Knicks made the right choice to move on from him.