There will be a new NBA champion. The Boston Celtics surrendered their crown with a dismal performance Friday in Manhattan, where the Knicks, in contrast, had one of their happiest days—a true celebration for all of New York.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 23 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 to lead the Knicks to a commanding 119-81 victory over Boston in Game 6 of their playoff series. New York advances authoritatively to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will face Indiana.
That matchup against the Pacers will bring back memories of the last time the Knicks were in this position: it was 25 years ago, and they lost.
Knicks Appear Ready to Chase the Championship
The hunger of the New York team and its loyal fans has been building for many years and is now enormous. But today, they have a balanced, experienced, and healthy squad ready to fight for something special.
The Knicks are not only on track for their best season in recent decades—they could even be considered favorites for the NBA title based on how they are performing—but they also had the luxury of eliminating a team that, player for player, was the best in the league.
The Celtics shot poorly for most of the series, and their morale took a major hit after losing Jayson Tatum—their biggest star—to a devastating Achilles tendon injury in Game 4.
Celtics Collapse in the Second Quarter
The Knicks, who haven’t played in the NBA Finals since 1999, pulled away in the first half by capitalizing on a disastrous second quarter from Boston, outscoring the then-defending champions 38-17. The Celtics were left without answers, attempting multiple three-pointers from poor angles and racking up turnovers.
That inefficiency worsened in the second half, where New York showed no mercy to their bitter rival, extending the lead to 37 points midway through the third quarter (80-43), a true blowout. Boston’s last hopes vanished when Jaylen Brown, last year’s NBA Finals MVP, fouled out with three minutes left in the quarter.
Boston Coach Waves the White Flag
The Garden, which hosted a massive celebration from start to finish, erupted when OG Anunoby hit a three-pointer that stretched the insurmountable lead to 92-51 with less than two minutes left in the third quarter—a 41-point deficit that led coach Joe Mazzulla to call a timeout and pull his starters.
The Knicks’ balanced offense on Friday included 22 points from Mikal Bridges, the hero of Games 1 and 2 with stellar defensive plays, when New York put the reigning champions on the ropes in their own arena. In the end, the Celtics couldn’t recover.
Josh Hart, another key player, completed the triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. For Boston, Brown scored 20 points (8 of 20 from the field) before fouling out, and the next-highest scorer was Payton Pritchard with just 11. The Celtics shot 36% overall and struggled from three-point range: 12 of 41 (29%).
Image: DiarioNY
