The New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years on Friday night, strolling to a 119-81 victory over reigning champions the Boston Celtics in Game 6.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby led the scoring with 23 each, on a night when six Knicks players hit double figures to propel the team to a 38-point margin of victory, the largest in franchise postseason history, per AP.
The win also represented the Knicks’ first playoff series victory at home since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals, but star man Brunson had another piece of history on his mind.
“We haven’t been here since my dad played, or was on the team – he’s not gonna like that!” he laughed in his on-court interview with ESPN. “It means a lot for this organization and this city.”
That much was clear to see as fans – including the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Bad Bunny, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Lenny Kravitz – celebrated jubilantly inside Madison Square Garden. On the packed streets outside, some fans climbed onto a subway entrance canopy while others tossed plastic bollards into the air outside Penn Station.
“Josh (Hart) showed me a video, walking here, guys climbing up light poles,” laughed Mikal Bridges in a post-game press conference. “It’s crazy, man. Great for them, happy for them. Obviously I’m new here, but I just know how much New York loves their sports, and especially the Knicks.”
“They enjoy it for us right now but obviously we got way more to go.”
After the Knicks overturned 20-point leads in each of the first two games in Boston, a series which had been defined by spirit and fight ended with New York in cruise control.
Leading 26-20 after the first quarter, the Knicks seized control in the second with a 13-3 run, their dominance characterized by Deuce McBride’s chasedown block to deny Derrick White – a moment which had Madison Square Garden on its feet, and which was followed immediately by Hart claiming a second straight basket while being fouled by Jrue Holiday.
By halftime the home team was up 64-37 and never looked back. Complementing Brunson and Anunoby’s 23 points were Bridges’ 22 and Karl-Anthony Towns’ 21. The latter also recorded a career-high 12 rebounds.
Hart became the first Knick since 1972 to record a triple-double in the postseason with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, and McBride was the sixth player to reach double figures for New York. Jaylen Brown led the scoring for the Celtics with 20. Boston was without Jayson Tatum after he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 4.
“Losing to the Knicks feels like death,” said Brown after the game.
The Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals, the same team they played last time they made it this far in 2000. The Pacers are also the team responsible for New York’s playoff exit in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last year.
Game 1 is on Wednesday night in New York.
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