New York Knicks

The New York Knicks can stop their head coaching search ... 'cause Metta World Peace says he's the guy for the job!!

TMZ Sports caught up with the former NBA star following the shocking firing of Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday ... and MWP explained he's dead serious about leading the N.Y. sidelines.

"I would love the opportunity just to coach," the 45-year-old said. "I'm not interested in nothing else. I've been preparing for this."

The New York Knicks fell just short of making their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 ... but they'll be looking to build off their recent playoff run without head coach Tom Thibodeau next season -- the team has relieved him of his duties.

The Knicks announced the news minutes ago ... saying days after losing to the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, it was time to take the franchise in a different direction.

"We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each & every day of being the New York Knicks head coach," Knicks president Leon Rose said. "He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories."

7:47 PM PT -- Kylie's not so lucky after all. Pacers win 125-108.

Kylie Jenner's embracing her role as the New York Knicks' good luck charm ... heading all the way to Indianapolis in hopes of keeping her boyfriend Timothée Chalamet's favorite team's championship dream alive.

The actor and the mogul sat courtside together Saturday night as the Knicks took on the Paces in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals ... both decked out in Knicks blue and orange at the biggest game of the year.

Check out the clip ... Kylie's so excited to be there with her man -- wrapping her arms around him and trying to get him hyped while he throws up a peace sign for the camera.

Turns out all those Timothée Chalamet Knicks sightings might not be about basketball at all -- and everything to do with heating things up off-court with Kylie Jenner.

After Kylie joined die-hard hoops fan Timothée on Thursday to watch the Knicks beat the Pacers, she went full Samantha Jones -- reposting a very telling "Sex and the City" clip that had fans connecting all the steamy dots.

The HBO Max repost showed Kim Cattrall’s iconic Samantha Jones dishing on her lover Don, saying, "I don’t get laid unless the Knicks win" -- and fans are now convinced Timothée’s got a playoff performance clause in their sex life ... and that the Knicks aren’t the only ones on a hot streak.

Indiana Pacers star Pascal Siakam was testy during his postgame availability in New York ... and it just happened to involve the reporter who had a cringeworthy interaction with Caitlin Clark in 2024 -- Gregg Doyel.

Siakam met with the media after the Knicks dodged elimination with a 111-94 win at Madison Square Garden ... when the big man said New York was "more aggressive from the jump."

Then Doyel's turn came around to pick Siakam's brain ... and he asked how it was possible for the team not to play as hard as their opponent.

Timothée Chalamet brought along his good luck charm Kylie Jenner for the Knicks-Pacers playoff game Thursday night, but they didn't seem to catch much of the on-court action because they were too busy making out.

The famous couple -- and diehard Knicks fans -- had some of the best seats in Madison Square Garden for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- although it didn't really matter since they were mainly focused on their own personal activities.

Check out the shots of  Kylie sucking face with Timothée, which practically went on all night. Every time a camera zeroed in on the lovebirds, it appeared they were locking lips. A video was also posted to Instagram by Page Six that showed Kylie and Timothée smooching with their hands all over one another.

As for their fondness for the Knicks, Timothée wore a blue and orange jacket to match his favorite team's colors. Kylie was sporting a Knicks cap at one point in the night with a tight white shirt and black leather pants.

Despite all their PDA, the pair didn't miss the entire Knicks' 111-94 victory over the Pacers. Photos showed them periodically watching and rooting for their team.

This isn't the first time Timothee brought his good luck charm to a Knicks game. You may recall, Kylie and her sister, Kendall, joined Timothée at the Knicks-Celtics semifinal game earlier this month -- and the Knicks ended up with the big win.

The New York Knicks are on the brink of elimination, but if they want to climb back from down 3-1 against the Indiana Pacers ... they gotta stop what they're doing and listen to Robert Horry!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Big Shot Bob at LAX on Thursday -- hours before Game 5 tips off at Madison Square Garden -- and picked his brain on what the home team will have to do in order to stay alive.

Of course, Horry knows what it takes -- he was part of the 1995 Houston Rockets team that clawed back and defeated the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals and eventually won the Finals over the Orlando Magic.

3:06 PM PT -- Stiller weighed in on Pat McAfee's antics ... and said the ESPN host is welcome to attend Game 5 -- if he dares.

Pat McAfee went all WWE on famous Knicks fans' asses on Tuesday ... cutting a promo to hype up Pacers fans during Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals -- and given the outcome, it might've helped Indiana get the dub.

The former Indianapolis Colts punter was handed the mic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to inject more energy into those in attendance during the pivotal matchup ... and with his time in the spotlight, he politely pointed out the big-time visitors -- including Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet -- who were courtside with hopes the Knicks would tie up the series.

What came out of his mouth next wasn't exactly PG.

The New York Knicks once again welcomed some of the biggest names in Hollywood to NYC's Madison Square Garden last night ... only to be upset by the Indiana Pacers for a second time.

It's an underwhelming outlook as the Pacers take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals ... but the Knicks would likely prefer we don't focus on that.

Instead, we're taking note of the A-Listers who showed their support in the Big Apple. Check out our gallery and you'll see the usual famous fans -- including Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet.

The Knicks had an extra hand in their thrilling Game 1 matchup with the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday ... but unfortunately for the home team, Jon Hamm's assist couldn't help them to victory.

The "Mad Men" actor had courtside seats for the contest at Madison Square Garden ... but Hamm apparently wasn't satisfied with sitting back and observing -- 'cause in the second quarter, he took matters into his own hands when the rock came flying in his direction.

Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton seemingly felt like he could've saved the ball to keep it in play ... and rushed to Hamm's section in hopes of deflecting it back onto the court.

Karl-Anthony Towns set the internet ablaze Sunday night when he was spotted at Yankee Stadium rocking a shirt that threw shade at the Boston Celtics ... and the man who gave birth to the iconic meme behind it is still in shock over the whole thing!!

TMZ Sports caught up with Jason Dantona to get his reaction to the viral moment from the final game of the Subway series ... and he told us he initially thought he was getting trolled when he was first notified of KAT's wardrobe choice.

"I thought they were messing with me," he said. "I had known the shirt was released a couple of weeks ago before we knew that we were playing the Celtics, but I didn't really expect any of the players to wear it on them."

Slide over Jack Nicholson and hang back a bit, Flea ... cause there is a new breed of young famous faces taking over the courtside seats at all the must-see NBA games this season.

Timothee Chalamet is taking center stage as the new Knicks hype man ... while a revolving door of Hollywood Gen Z are high key taking the reins to all the latest Lakers games.

It's not just the cool East Coast / West Coast teams that are getting hit by all the young and pretty people ... other big cities like Atlanta and even Salt Lake City are getting their fair share of hotties.

Fans went wild after the Knicks upset the Celtics in the star-studded Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals -- and nearly pulled Timothée Chalamet out of his car!

Check out the vid ... thousands of fans took to the streets of NYC after the big win and a few lucky ones caught a glimpse of the equally thrilled actor. He took a few moments to celebrate -- and ended up in a passionate hug that appeared more like a headlock as he hung out his car window.

The "Dune" star was just one of the famous faces who showed up for the big game. Our gallery shows TC locked in on the game while sitting next to Bad Bunny ... while Pete Davidson and his girlfriend Elsie Hewitt -- who are now living together -- flashed a smile at the camera.

Folks are dropping serious coin to be at Game 6 of the New York Knicks' series against the Boston Celtics -- TMZ Sports is told one fan paid a whopping $20,000 for one seat at Madison Square Garden for the huge playoff matchup!!

Our friends at popular ticket platform SeatGeek gave us an inside look at the demand for Friday's contest ... and despite everything going on in the Big Apple, it's clear what's at the top of everyone's list.

"The anticipation for Game Six at Madison Square Garden is at an all-time high with demand reaching record levels, making it the most sought-after ticket in New York right now," Chris Leyden, SeatGeek's Director of Category Marketing, told us.

If Diddy needs a couple hours to take his mind off his ongoing criminal trial, he will be allowed to watch the Knicks' pivotal playoff game Friday night, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons tells us ... Diddy will have access to a television with basic cable after he heads back to MDC Brooklyn following the conclusion of Friday's court proceedings.

It's, of course, unclear if the 55-year-old will tune in -- he's obviously got a lot bigger things on his mind at the moment -- but he was known to be a Knicks supporter during his time as a free man.