The New York Knicks have officially done it. Against all the odds imaginable, they have eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics in perhaps the most dominating way Friday, defeating the Celtics 119-81 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
This is also the first time since 1994 that the Knicks have eliminated the defending champions in the playoffs the following season. That year, they took down the Chicago Bulls in seven games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the team that won the title the year before.
The Knicks clinched the series with the most complete win possible
The big key for the Knicks to secure this game was to get off to a strong start and never look back. They did exactly that, and they played a perfect game on both ends of the floor to dominate the Celtics, who were without Jayson Tatum due to a torn achilles.
They jumped out to a six-point lead after the first quarter and would crush them from there. They outscored Boston 38-17 in the second quarter to take a commanding 27-point halftime lead, and the avalanche continued into the third and the lead ballooned to as much as 41.
Essentially, every Knick that played made a positive contribution on both ends. They held the Celtics to just 36% shooting from the floor and 29% from three, while four different Knicks players scored at least 20 points.
This was the type of complete win that New York was missing all postseason, and there was no better time to do it than in a close-out game against the reigning champions.
The Knicks’ bench delivered great minutes in Game 6
The production from the bench, or lack thereof, has long been a concern all season. However, in Game 6, the bench delivered and played a huge role in the Knicks’ taking such a commanding lead.
Miles McBride has his best game of the postseason with 10 points and shot 2-for-5 from three. He also made an incredible block on Derrick White that led to a Josh Hart three-point play on the other end late in the second quarter, a play that sparked the Madison Square Garden crowd and propelled the Knicks to dominance.
Mitchell Robinson was terrific off the bench once again despite playing just 14 minutes. In those minutes, he was a +20 with four rebounds and a steal. He played phenomenal defense and rotated well, two things that won’t show up in the stat sheet.
Josh Hart was the man of the night from the starters, recording a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. He is now the first Knick to record a triple-double in the playoffs since Walt Frazier in 1972.
Overview
This series win over the Celtics is very celebratory, as nobody expected the Knicks to pull off such a stunning upset. They have now accomplished something that many Knicks fans have never witnessed, but now they need to turn their focus to the Indiana Pacers, whom they will face in the Eastern Conference Finals starting Wednesday.