For the first time in 25 years, the New York Knicks are heading back to the Eastern Conference finals. The Knicks destroyed the Boston Celtics on Friday with a 38-point win in Game 6 of the conference semifinals, to advance to their first conference finals since 2000.
With the Knicks leading the series 3-2, expectations were high for the matchup in Madison Square Garden, with some of the most expensive tickets on record. But New York exceeded expectations, destroying Boston 119-81 to advance to the conference finals.
The Celtics were already at a major disadvantage, with leading scorer Jayson Tatum out with a torn Achilles. But Friday’s game was an absolute smackdown, with New York completely dominating from start to finish.
It was a true team effort for New York: Six Knicks ended with double-digit points, with four of those players putting up 20-point performances. OG Anunoby and Jalen Brunson lead the team with 23 points, while Mikal Bridges put up 22 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds.
New York outplayed Boston on every stat, but rebounding was particularly lethal: The Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics 55-36.
NEW YORK SPORTS THIS WEEK 