NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks aren’t celebrating just yet — not inside the locker room, at least. To them, reaching the Eastern Conference finals is another step toward the ultimate goal. But outside Madison Square Garden, it was a full-on party.
With a dominant 119–81 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 Friday night, the Knicks clinched their first trip to the conference finals since 2000 — ending Boston’s one-year reign as NBA champions in emphatic fashion.
As the final buzzer sounded, the celebration inside and around MSG exploded. Fans chanted, danced, and even climbed light poles. Knicks guard Josh Hart showed Mikal Bridges footage of the revelry.
“I’m new here, but I know how much New York loves their sports — especially the Knicks,” said Bridges. “We’re not done yet, but we’ll let the fans enjoy this one tonight.”
Brunson and OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 23 points apiece, while Bridges added 22 and Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 21. The 38-point margin was the largest postseason win in franchise history.
New York now prepares to face the Indiana Pacers in the East finals — the same team they battled in their last appearance 25 years ago. Game 1 tips off Wednesday night at the Garden.
“It’s a great win, but we’ve got to shift our focus,” said head coach Tom Thibodeau. “Indiana’s a tough opponent. We need to be ready.”
The Knicks hadn’t closed out a playoff series at home since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals, and the energy inside MSG reflected that drought. Fans were on their feet early and never sat back down.
Boston, still reeling from the loss of Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles in Game 4, had no answer. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 20 points, but head coach Joe Mazzulla began emptying his bench midway through the third quarter with the deficit ballooning past 40 points.
“We didn’t have the same group as last year,” said Derrick White. “We had goals and didn’t meet them. That’s tough.”
The game’s defining moment came late in the second quarter. A 13–3 Knicks run, punctuated by Deuce McBride’s chasedown block and Hart’s three-point play, blew the game wide open. New York took a 64–37 lead into halftime — tying their largest playoff halftime margin in the shot-clock era.
Josh Hart recorded a triple-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. The stars were out along celebrity row, including Ben Stiller and Lenny Kravitz, who shared a hug after the final horn.
The Knicks have now taken the next step in their pursuit of a championship. And with the city of New York rallying behind them, they’ll enter the next round with momentum, confidence, and a fan base ready to believe.
