The New York Knicks are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 campaign.
Once Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum suffered a devastating torn Achilles injury at the end of Game 4, it was officially the Knicks’ series to lose.
Surprisingly, the Knicks suffered a lopsided 127-102 loss in Game 5, keeping the Celtics’ hopes alive. However, New York, which entered Friday night’s Game 6 second-round clash with a 3-2 series lead, went into halftime with a 27-point advantage and never looked back.
OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson led the way for the surging Knicks offensively, combining for 46 points in their 119-81 victory.
There’s a reason why New York fans were thrilled about the 2024-25 campaign. The organization upgraded its roster by trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges in the offseason.
The Knicks also possess a two-way specialist in OG Anunoby and a gritty, 6-foot-2 point guard known for playing clutch plays in Brunson, giving them enough ammunition to dethrone the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
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New York was shaky against the Detroit Pistons in the opening round of the playoffs but played well enough to secure a 4-2 series win over the up-and-coming Cade Cunningham-led organization.
The Knicks should have lost their first two Eastern Conference semifinal contests against the Celtics.
Impressively, Tom Thibodeau’s resilient squad refused to go away despite facing back-to-back 20-point deficits, resulting in two consecutive come-from-behind road wins and full control of the series.
Considering the Knicks were abysmal against the league’s elite teams in the regular season (0-10 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers), it’s remarkable that they prevailed in four of the six playoff clashes against Boston.
New York will continue their NBA title quest against Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the third round of the postseason.
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