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Knicks Dismantle Celtics in Game 6, Make First Eastern Finals Appearance Since 2000

Knicks Dismantle Celtics in Game 6, Make First Eastern Finals Appearance Since 2000

Knicks Blaze Past Celtics: A Night to Remember in Madison Square Garden

Fans in New York hadn’t seen anything like this in over two decades. The Knicks stormed through Game 6 against the Celtics, crushing their rivals and finally booking a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals—the first time since the grim days of dial-up internet. The energy in Madison Square Garden was electric on May 16, 2025, as history unfolded right on their home court.

For Knicks fans, there was so much emotion packed into those final minutes. They’d watched their team struggle for years, with falling hopes and brief flirtations with playoff relevancy. But on this night, none of that mattered. Jalen Brunson was relentless, shaking off a quiet Game 5 and torching Boston’s defense with style. Karl-Anthony Towns, who took some heat for his performance earlier in the series, found his rhythm just when it counted, feeding off the crowd and bulldozing the Celtics in the paint. Together, they didn’t just beat Boston—they delivered the franchise’s biggest playoff win ever, closing the series out 4-2 and making it feel almost easy.

Celtics Struggle Without Tatum, Knicks Rewrite Their Playoff Narrative

The Celtics came into Game 6 with their backs against the wall—and without their franchise cornerstone. Losing Jayson Tatum to a ruptured Achilles in Game 5 sent a shiver through Boston’s lineup. It was up to Jaylen Brown, who had posted a massive 26-point, 8-rebound, 12-assist stat line in the previous outing, to shoulder the load. He tried. The energy was there. He attacked the rim, found open shooters, but the offense just didn't have the same flow. A team built around Tatum looked lost without him.

It wasn’t just Tatum’s scoring they missed, but his composure and creativity. While Brown gave everything he could, and Boston’s role players hustled, the shots just didn’t fall. New York ratcheted up the defense. Every possession felt heavier, and as the Knicks’ lead grew, the Celtics’ resistance faltered. By the fourth quarter, the game turned into a celebration for the home crowd and a bitter reminder for Boston of how quickly things can turn in the NBA.

There’s no sugarcoating it: this moment is gigantic for New York. When you haven’t clinched a playoff series on your home floor since 1999, fans have the right to go wild. The echoes of that last Finals run—back in an era of flip phones and VHS tapes—are finally being replaced by something fresher, something fans under 30 have only dreamed of. For the franchise, this series win signals something that’s always felt just out of reach: a real shot at contending in the East again.

  • The Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, breaking a 25-year drought.
  • Brunson and Towns led the charge, redeeming their previous lackluster performance.
  • Celtics were undermanned without Tatum, and couldn’t rally despite Jaylen Brown’s effort.
  • The win brought old-school New York street parties back to life, with MSG at the heart.

Fans wanting to relive the showdown or catch the highlights can tune in to ESPN or stream full replays via the NBA App. The next chapter: Can this Knicks team go even further, or will this fairytale end as abruptly as it began? For now, New York’s ready to dream big again.