Knicks Finally Bust Boston, Advance to Conference Finals

The New York Knicks left no doubt this time around, clinch their first Eastern Conference Finals berth since 2000.

May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball against Boston Celtics forward Torrey Craig (12) during the fourth quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Having made their fans wait over a quarter-century to secure even a mere playoff series victory at home, the New York Knicks were going to make sure their fans enjoyed this one.

New York is officially moving on to its first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, as it buried the Boston Celtics by 119-81 shellacking in Game 6 of their semifinal set at Madison Square Garden, securing a 4-2 win in the best-of-seven set.

The Knicks will now face the Indiana Pacers, the same team they faced in their prior conference final visits in 1999 and 2000, for a bid to the NBA Finals. MSG also hosted a clinching game for its tenant since the former occasion in '99, when they punched their NBA Finals ticket over Indiana.

A balanced scoring effort led the way in the metropolitan blowout: OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns all put in at least 21 points (Anunoby and Brunson paced the team with 23 each) while Josh Hart paired 10 tallies with 11 assists and rebounds each. Hart becomes the first Knick to earn a postseason triple-double since the legendary Walt "Clyde" Frazier during the team's run to the Finals in 1972.

May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) and forward Sam Hauser (30) during the first quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Each prior Knick victory against Boston, all earned in the conference semifinal set, was a comeback effort, narrow triumphs that had many worried about their long-term prospects in the series. This time around, the Knicks left no doubt, taking an early lead in the opening period and never letting go.

What followed was the Knicks' largest margin of victory in postseason history, besting the 36-point win they earned over the Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinal round of their first championship run in 1970. There was a very brief exchange of leads in the early stages of the game but the Knicks took lasting control with a run of seven straight that gave them an 11-5 lead.

The closest thing Boston had to a rally came in the latter stages of the opening period, when Kristaps Porzingis' three tied the game 16 with 2:31 remaining. An Anunoby dunk and consecutive threes from Bridges and Towns, which were more than enough to counter Boston's decrepit effort from deep (Sam Hauser, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard, and Derrick White missed all 11 of their united tries in the first half), gave the Knicks the lead for good. Bridges and Towns united for 21 of the Knicks' 26 points as they owned a six-point advantage after the first dozen.

It didn't take long for Bridges to set another landmark, as he gave the Knicks a permanent double-figure lead with the first five points of the second. Bridges' continued outburst marked the start of a frame that the Knicks won by a 38-17 final, one capped off by Mile McBride's three-pointer with a tenth of a second left on the first half clock.

May 16, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the second quarter of game six in the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Another playoff landmark was reached with that triple: it tied the largest postseason halftime lead the Knicks had in the Knicks in the modern shot clock era, matching the one they owned in the famed final game of the 1970 Finals, the game that saw an injured Willis Reed take to the floor in one of the most inspiring scenes in NBA history.

From there, the only drama left was just how large the Knicks' lead could grow, how loud MSG could get, and whether head coach Tom Thibodeau would acquiese to fan requests to put beloved addition PJ Tucker. The advantage eventually got to 41 by the end of the third period but Boston had given up long before that.

The Celtics' already-feeble comeback effort was pretty much officially squashed by self-enacted means: Jaylen Brown's disqualification via sixth foul with 2:50 remaining in the the third quarter sent Brunson to the line and led Joe Mazzulla to wave the white flag of humanity by putting his deep reserves in. Thibodeau needed some extra convincing but eventually gave in the latter half of the closing dozen. Despite his early exit, Brown led the Jayson Tatum-less Celtics with 20 points in defeat.

With the win, New York will not only get a chance of revenge at the Pacers, who removed them from last year's postseason affairs, but it will also carry homecourt advantage for the best-of-seven national semifinal. Game 1 is set to be staged on Saturday on Seventh Avenue (8 p.m. ET, TNT).

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