The Knicks were 0-4 against the Boston Celtics in the regular season but went 4-2 when it mattered. Their lop-sided 119-81 win in Game 6 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden propelled them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, and sent the reigning champs home after an emphatic end to the series.
“To me, it’s not about our guys — they did everything they could,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “You’ve got to tip your hat off to the Knicks. They played a great series. They’ve been great all year. [Tom Thibodeau] is a great coach, so you’ve got to tip your hat off to them.”
The Celtics lost leading scorer Jayson Tatum to a torn right Achilles in Game 4, leaving Jaylen Brown and Derrick White to shoulder the load. White scored a game-high 34 points in Boston’s 127-102 Game 5 win, but finished Game 6 with only eight on 3-of-11 shooting.
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death, but I was always taught that there’s life after death,” said Brown, who dropped a team-high 20 points on 8-of-20 shooting in Game 6 before fouling out in the third quarter. “We’ll get ready for whatever’s next — whatever’s next in the journey, I’ll be ready for.”
After a battle-tested Eastern Conference semifinals, the Knicks now turn the page to hosting Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, scheduled for next Wednesday at 8 p.m.
“We knew we would have to play 48 minutes against them,” Thibodeau said. “They’re terrific on both sides of the ball. They play their style no matter what. They’re not going to hand you anything. You have to earn it. I thought we did that.”
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