NEW YORK – The stakes were immense heading into Game 6 of the New York Knicks` second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics on Friday. Victory would send the Knicks to the conference finals for the first time in a quarter-century, while defeat would force a dreaded Game 7 back in Boston. Having taken a 3-1 lead and seen the Celtics` top player exit with a torn Achilles, the Knicks were no longer the underdogs they were just two weeks prior. Failure to close out this diminished Boston squad would likely signal significant organizational changes.
Despite the high stakes, the game itself proved anticlimactic. After a tight opening eight minutes, the Knicks unleashed an absolute annihilation. A late first-quarter surge turned into a complete rout, allowing them to cruise to victory and clinch the series. New York held a 27-point lead by halftime and extended it to a maximum of 41 points in their dominant 119-81 win, marking the most lopsided playoff victory in franchise history.
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla conceded early, pulling his starters late in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw the ecstatic Madison Square Garden crowd chanting the name of veteran forward P.J. Tucker, prompting Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau to put him in. In stark contrast to New York`s seven previous playoff victories this season, this game featured zero drama, tension, improbable comebacks, or last-second heroics.
On their way to the postgame press conference, Knicks guard Josh Hart showed teammate Mikal Bridges a video of jubilant fans climbing lampposts outside Madison Square Garden.
“Yeah, it`s crazy, man,” commented Bridges, who arrived via a blockbuster trade with the Brooklyn Nets last offseason. “Obviously, I`m new here, but I know how much New York loves its sports, especially the Knicks. I`m just incredibly excited to be a part of this.”
This victory marked the franchise`s most significant win in 25 years. When asked if the players understood the lengthy drought since the Knicks last advanced past the second round, guard Miles McBride responded, “I don`t even know if I was alive. But it`s something New York deserves.” Upon learning the previous instance was in 2000, he smiled, realizing he was born just months after that last trip to the conference finals.
“That`s craaazy,” McBride reiterated.
The scoring was widely distributed among four of the Knicks` starters – Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Bridges – who each scored between 21 and 23 points. Josh Hart contributed a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Miles McBride added 10 points from the bench, and reserve center Mitchell Robinson provided his usual strong presence on defense and the offensive boards, just as he had throughout the series. Coach Thibodeau called it a “really balanced attack.” For this version of the Knicks, it was the perfect blueprint for success: disciplined defense, rebounding dominance, offensive efficiency, and their star Brunson needing only 14 shots.
Between their 127-102 loss in Boston on Wednesday and Friday`s clinching victory, the team held a crucial meeting. “`We just refocused, honestly,` McBride revealed.” Discussions centered on improving defensive communication, particularly in transition.
“I feel like we watched the film and were frankly disgusted with our communication, our effort, and our urgency to start that game,” Hart explained. “So, we knew that was something we absolutely had to fix.”
Brunson stated they recognized Game 5 “wasn`t us” and were determined to prove it. In Boston, the Celtics successfully pushed the pace, played freely, and despite Jayson Tatum`s absence, created easy scoring opportunities via ball movement and cuts. Two days later at MSG, New York showed much greater focus on disrupting Boston`s off-ball actions. From late in the first quarter, they managed to “`get stops, run, and play Knick basketball,` according to Hart.” Crucially, for the first time in the series, the Knicks built and maintained a significant lead instead of constantly having to battle from behind.
“It was time,” McBride declared. “It was time for us to play with the lead, play tough with the lead, be the more physical team, and just outlast them.”
In the Eastern Conference Finals, starting Wednesday with Game 1 at home, New York will face the Indiana Pacers. Ironically, the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the second round just last season. Indiana`s fast pace and offensive attack will challenge the Knicks` depth, defense, and ability to withstand pressure. While the Pacers have improved, particularly defensively, the Knicks possess significantly more offensive firepower than they did last season, especially compared to their injury-plagued state at the end of that campaign.
“It`s going to be a tough opponent,” Hart commented on the upcoming matchup. “They push the pace constantly, running after both makes and misses. I know this series will require tremendous communication from us. We`ll need to be completely locked in on every possession and focus on getting back defensively. We can definitely build off this game. I felt our transition defense and communication were excellent today, and that`s something we need to carry into the next series.”
Towns reflected that the first-round series against the Detroit Pistons demonstrated their ability to “finish games in the fourth quarter,” while the Boston series served as “a testament to these guys never, ever not believing that we`re going to win, regardless of the game`s flow or the ups and downs of a playoff series.” Both series had their rocky moments, but the Knicks concluded this one with their most comprehensive performance of the entire postseason. Achieving a victory like that, in this high-stakes scenario, represents a monumental accomplishment. It truly has been a long time since the Knicks delivered a performance of this magnitude.
Jasper Hawthorne