Knicks Dethrone Celtics to Punch First East Finals Ticket Since 2000

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

After two decades of playoff heartbreaks, the New York Knicks are finally back in the Eastern Conference finals following a 119-81 obliteration of the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their best-of-seven semifinal playoff series on May 17, 2025.

New York last made an Eastern Conference finals trip during the 1999-2000 NBA season. What a full circle moment. Jalen Brunson was just four years old, and his dad, Rick, was still a player for the Knicks. He is currently a part of the franchise’s talented coaching staff under Tom Thibodeau’s leadership.

What made the series win sweeter was how they dethroned the reigning NBA defending champs, sending them home in front of their loyal fans at the Madison Square Garden, where legends and former Knicks employees came out to show love and support to the current roster.

It was still a tightly contested affair in the opening 12 minutes of the game after the Celtics kept themselves within striking distance and managed to trim the gap to six points, 26-20, heading to the second frame.

However, when the second period ticked, the home team unleashed an early exclamation point, outscoring Boston, 38-17, to establish a commanding 23-point advantage at the half.

The Knicks didn’t need a huge scoring chunk from Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns to leave the Celtics behind in the second as they finally received a breakout performance from OG Anunoby, who only scored six points in their Game 5 loss.

Anunoby, the unsung hero during their six-game first-round series win over the Detroit Pistons, found his shooting stroke early and spearheaded New York’s second-quarter rally with his three-point shooting and defensive prowess.

His clamps on Boston’s Derrick White and Jaylen Brown were a huge factor in that lopsided canto, when the Knicks limited the Celtics to just 17 points.

The Celtics attempted to heat White up, their Game 5 savior that kept them alive in the series, but the laser-focused New York perimeter defenders were all over him and limited his offensive production to just eight points.

New York sucked the life out of the defending champs when they ballooned their largest lead of the ball game at 41 points in the third that caused pandemonium in the energized Madison Square Garden.

With the sizable gap, the Celtics failed to pull off any miraculous runs and conceded Game 6 by taking out all of their starters with seven minutes remaining in the game.

The New York barrage was led by Anunoby and Brunson, who each delivered 23 points, followed by Mikal Bridges’ 22-point outing derived from an efficient 9/15 shooting from the field.

Towns, who was plagued with foul trouble in Game 5, bounced back with a double-double performance of 21 markers and 12 rebounds.

On the other hand, the Celtics still missed the services of their superstar, Jayson Tatum, who underwent a season-ending surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles tendon.

Without his all-around game, Boston banked on Brown and White, but failed to deliver when their team needed them the most as they only combined for 28 points in the must-win Game 6.

New York will now return to the drawing board and will prepare for their Eastern Conference finals showdown with the Indiana Pacers on May 22, 2025.

Indiana, led by Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner, is coming off a dominant 4-1 series win over the league-leading Cleveland Cavaliers during the East semis.