New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson (11) gestures to followers throughout the second half of Sport 6 within the Japanese Convention semifinals of the NBA basketball playoffs in opposition to the Boston Celtics Friday, Could 16, 2025, in New York. (AP Photograph/Frank Franklin II)
NEW YORK — The New York Knicks reached the Japanese Convention finals for the primary time in 25 years and ended the one-year NBA title reign of the Boston Celtics with astonishing ease, rolling to a 119-81 victory in Sport 6 on Friday evening.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby every scored 23 factors for the Knicks, who will face the Indiana Pacers, the identical group they met of their final convention finals look in 2000. Sport 1 is Wednesday evening in New York.
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NEW YORK ADVANCES TO FIRST ECF SINCE 1999-00 SEASON AFTER A DOMINANT WIN ‼️
Brunson: 23p, 6a, 6r
Anunoby: 23p, 9r, 2s, 2b
Bridges: 22p, 4r, 3a, 2b
Cities: 21p, 12r
Hart: 10p, 11r, 11aSport 1 vs. IND: Wednesday 8pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/IN6PNRFECM
— NBA (@NBA) Could 17, 2025
The Knicks hadn’t gained a playoff collection on their residence flooring for the reason that 1999 East finals. So the celebrating began late within the one-sided first half inside Madison Sq. Backyard and was positive to hold on deep into the evening across the area.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 factors and Karl-Anthony Cities had 21 for the Knicks, whose 38-point margin of victory was their largest in a postseason recreation.
Jaylen Brown scored 20 factors for the Celtics, who misplaced main scorer Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles tendon in Sport 4 however believed they nonetheless had sufficient to get it again to Boston for Sport 7 and preserve their title protection alive.
It was shortly clear that wasn’t occurring.
The Celtics led by no less than 14 in every of the primary 5 video games, however this time the Knicks began quick and stored pouring it on till Boston coach Joe Mazzulla start pulling his starters within the third quarter after the deficit reached 41 factors.
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KNICKS ADVANCE TO EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2000 🚨 pic.twitter.com/T9m6aWmUoC
— NBA (@NBA) Could 17, 2025
The Knicks scored the primary seven factors of the second quarter to make it 33-20. New York blew it open with a 13-3 run that made it 49-27, a surge highlighted by 6-foot-1 guard Deuce McBride’s chasedown block of Derrick White’s shot that led to Josh Hart’s second straight basket whereas being fouled.
Ben Stiller and Lenny Kravitz shared a handshake and hug afterward alongside superstar row, the place the A-listers had been standing and cheering a lot of the evening, the identical because the followers sitting close to the highest of the sector.
The Knicks led 64-37 at halftime, a 27-point lead that matched their largest in a playoff recreation within the shot-clock period. They led the Lakers 69-42 in Sport 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, when Willis Reed’s return from harm sparked the Knicks to their first NBA title.
There was one other three years later, however the Knicks have been shut out since and it didn’t seem this may be the 12 months that would finish after the Knicks had been a mixed 0-8 in opposition to Cleveland and Boston, the 2 groups that completed above them within the East.
However they gained’t have to fret concerning the Cavaliers and utterly turned issues round in opposition to the Celtics, overcoming 20-point deficits within the second halves of each video games in Boston to open the collection.
Hart completed with 10 factors, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for the Knicks.
