For the first time in 25 years, the New York Knicks are heading back to the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks destroyed the Boston Celtics on Friday with a 38-point win in Game 6 of the conference semifinals, to advance to their first conference finals since 2000.
With the Knicks leading the series 3-2, expectations were high for the matchup in Madison Square Garden, with some of the most expensive tickets on record. But New York exceeded expectations, destroying Boston 119-81 to advance to the conference finals.
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The Celtics were already at a major disadvantage, with leading scorer Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles. But Friday’s game was an absolute smackdown, with New York completely dominating from start to finish.
The Knicks controlled the pace in the first half, building up a strong lead. Though New York struggled with shooting at times, it didn’t matter — the Celtics struggled even more, with Jaylen Brown single-handedly providing half of Boston’s points. Four first-half double-digit performances from the Knicks gave New York a 27-point lead heading into halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, that lead had ballooned to 35.
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Things only got worse for the Celtics, as Brown, their top scorer, fouled out partway through the third quarter. Brown ended with 20 points, after scoring 18 in the first half. But without Tatum or Brown on the court, Boston looked completely toothless on offense.
The Knicks kept things going in the fourth quarter to lock up a 119-81 win, with both team’s substitutes coming in to finish the game.
It was a true team effort for New York: Six Knicks ended with double-digit points, with four of those players putting up 20-point performances. OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson lead the team with 23 points, while Mikal Bridges put up 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds.
New York outplayed Boston on every stat, but rebounding was particularly lethal: The Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics 55-36.
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The Knicks took the first two games of the series after two straight comeback wins from a 20-point deficit — an unprecedented feat. But the Celtics took the next one back, before losing Tatum in Game 4. Boston then dominated the Knicks in Game 5, without Tatum, to bring the series to 3-2.
On Friday, the Celtics weren’t as lucky. The Knicks didn’t stay down for long, pulling off the dominant Game 6 victory to advance to the next round.
New York will now fill Madison Square Garden again, hosting the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
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