It took New York Knicks for a long time to transform their biggest match into a quarter of a century into a full laugh on Friday evening.
Jalen Brunson and Og Anunoby scored 23 points each while the Knicks eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics with a beat of 119-81 in match 6 of their series in the semi-final of the Eastern Conference, propelling New York in the last four of the NBA qualifiers for the first time since 2000.
The Knicks advance to meet the Indiana Pacers, the same team they faced during each of their three previous trips in the East final in 1994, 1999 and 2000. Match 1 is Wednesday evening in Manhattan.
New York overcome a sloppy quarter to lead to 41 points in a second non-competitive half in front of a celebrity shutter crowd which included Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Bad Bunny and Lenny Kravitz. He marked the first time that New York has closed a series in the playoff series on their home floor since the 1999 strike season, when they reached the NBA final as a seeded n ° 8.
“I thought that from start to finish, we were great,” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “(The Celtics) are a great team on both sides of the ball. They play their style whatever happens, and so they don’t give you anything. You have to win it. And I felt that we did it.
“But we cannot get carried away. Obviously, it’s a big victory and we are moving forward. But you also understand that you have to prepare for the next series. We know that Indiana is a great team and we will have to be ready.”
The defense of the convicted title of Boston ended with an unusual groan of their team in the Brad Stevens era. The Celtics, who had avoided elimination in the best game series with a convincing victory for match 5, were carried away by the ground in a display that lacked grain, execution and combat that defined the championship race last season. Missing Jayson Tatum after his end-of-season Achilles injury in match 4, the Boston exhausted support cast of Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser had a hard time having an impact, not having marked before or in the biggest advance of Knicks in the 17-4 series.
“In match 5, they had the best of us and we answered tonight,” said Brunson. “We just found a way to continue playing on the defensive side, the offensive was just rolling.”
This push, triggered by the shooting of Mikal Bridges and the interior presence of Karl-Anthony Towns, made a ball in an advantage of 64-37 at halftime. Bridges drained four three points on its path at 22 points, while the cities added 21, dominating the thin line head -on of Boston. Josh Hart cut with a 10-point triple-double, 11 rebounds and 11 assists, marking the first triple-double in New York since Walt Frazier in 1972.
The Knicks kept their foot on the gas after the break, stretching their advance at 41 points that the coach of Boston Joe Mazzulla began to shoot his starters in the middle of the third quarter. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 20 points before entertaining before the last period, but his efforts were isolated when New York’s defense forced Boston to rushed fire and clumsy turnover. “In the end, we set a goal and we did not achieve this goal,” said Mazzulla. “But you have to remove your hat from the Knicks. They played a big series and they were great all year round, and Thibs is an excellent coach.
New York pulled 46.2% in the field, including 16 out of 46 (34.8%) from three points after an icy start. The Knicks also dominated the glass, exceeding the Boston 55-36, while holding the Celtics at only 36% and 29.3% beyond the arc.
After the final buzzer struck, the fans came out of Madison Square Garden in the damp night of Manhattan to reach the masses pending along the seventh avenue, chanting “Knicks in Six!” And “Fuck You Boston!” While police barricades had trouble preventing the crowd from spreading in traffic. Fire motor horns sounded during fans at the scale of light posts and metro awnings.
The demolition of New York match 6 was a declaration of intent, solidifying their return to the elite of the NBA after decades of mediocrity. He will also revive the memories of these classic confrontations of Knicks-Pacers, with Madison Square Garden who now takes care of Indiana in a return to their deadly battles from the 90s. For the first time in a generation, the Knicks will play a final series of conference with real aspirations back to the top of the NBA for the first time since 1973.
“It’s great. I mean, the fact that we are not here since my father was part of the team – he won’t like it – but that means a lot for this organization and this city,” said Brunson.
