Knicks Hope Game 6 Thriller Changes Reputation

The New York Knicks hope their latest victory eliminated not only the Detroit Pistons but also some narratives about Manhattan's finest on the hardwood.

New York downed Detroit by a 116-113 final in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal set on Thursday night, one that ended a surging upset bid from the Motor City bruisers on their home floor at Little Caesars Arena.

While the third-ranked Knicks were no doubt expected to punt the Pistons, a team making its first postseason appearance since 2019, many believed Detroit's physicality would at the very least unnerve New York and plant seeds of doubt. Josh Hart hopes that the Knicks' confirmed victory will start to change minds about the current group assembled, namely about the idea that it's not physically or mentally built to truly compete for a championship.

May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) is defended by Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the first half during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"We're a tough group. Everyone likes to paint us as not, but we're a tough, physical group," Hart, who shook off a wrist injury from earlier in the series to play at full strength, said in video from SNY. "This was a physical series. It was a grueling series and I think we showed our physicality, our toughness. We also had mental toughness, the way we handled adversity. During those adverse situations, we banded together ... It was a great series for us."

Game 6 against the Pistons perhaps defined the Knicks' season to date: New York certainly didn't make things easy for itself, watching several sizable leads evaporate amidst Detroit's attempts to keep its season alive. But buckling down when it mattered most guided the team to a much-needed victory on a grand stage.

Jalen Brunson lived up to his newly-bestowed moniker of "Clutch Player of the Year" while Mikal Bridges lived up to the billing advertised when the Knicks paid a massive price for his services over the offseason. Karl-Anthony Towns had struggled to get shots up (4-of-9, 10 points) but engaged in Detroit's trademark physical game by securing 15 rebounds. When the Knicks' scoreboard column got redder as twilight approached, they buckled down to secure the winning margin by outscoring Detroit by an 11-1 tally over the last 2:35.

May 1, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) is defended by Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the first half during game six of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

New York even flipped the script on its dire third quarter woes: falling victim to a 10-2 Pistons run in the final two-plus minutes before halftime (a run capped off by Malik Beasley's three that swapped the intermission lead), the Knicks won the third quarter by 13 thanks in part to a united 21 from Brunson and Bridges. That set stage for the Knicks to prevail in a yet another close contest; the combined margin of victory in their three wins in the Motor City was a mere six points.

It'll obviously take more than the mere tropes of resiliency and mean faces to buy the Knicks advancement into the conference final round, as the next roadblock is the defending champion Boston Celtics. Towns quipped that the Knicks have frequently taken "the toughest path" to success, but hinted that the painfully scenic route could well become the catapult that launches the Knicks into at least their first conference final since the millennium began.

"People question our grittiness. They question our belief in ourselves and how disciplined we can be," Towns, he of 15 rebounds on a quiet shooting night, said (h/t New York Basketball on X). "I hope this series answers a lot of questions about who this team is, the identity that New York basketball has always had, that we can keep it alive."

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