Full-circle moment for Brunsons, Thibodeau as Knicks make long-awaited NBA East finals return
NEW YORK, United States — The last time the New York Knicks reached the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in the 1999-2000 season, Jalen Brunson was only three years old.
His father, Rick Brunson, was still a Knicks player, and Tom Thibodeau was one of the team’s assistant coaches.
It came full circle for the Brunsons and Thibodeau on Friday night (Saturday Manila time) as they were the three central figures in lifting the Knicks back to the Eastern Conference Finals after a quarter of a century.
With head coach Thibodeau and associate head coach Rick Brunson at the helm, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson led the perfect execution of their game plan that resulted in their most lopsided postseason win to advance.
Brunson dropped 23 points on just 14 shots with six assists to preside over the Knicks’ demolition of the Boston Celtics, ending their one-year reign with a 119-81 rout in front of an electric Madison Square Garden crowd.
It was the first closeout win at home for the Knicks since 1999 and a storybook ending to a series that started with two stunning 20-point comebacks by the Knicks in Boston to upset the dethroned champions.
“Upset or not, whatever it is, we beat a great team,” Brunson said. They obviously lost a great piece (Jayson Tatum to Achilles tear in Game 4), but regardless — the way they came out in Game 5, they knew that. I mean, they’re still a great team — so, regardless of whatever anyone thinks, upset or not, we're just happy to come out of the series with the win.”
After Brunson fouled out in the third quarter of a lopsided Game 5 loss, it was Jaylen Brown’s turn to foul out in the third quarter of the one-sided clincher.
“Losing to Knicks feels like death,” said a dejected Brown. “But I always thought there’s life after death.”
It will take some time before the Celtics can breathe back to life, as Tatum is set to miss the majority, if not the entire next season, and their expensive roster is about to get dismantled in the offseason.
In a stunning turnaround, the Knicks were in full control from the tip-off to the buzzer for the first time in the series.
They saved their best for last.
Karl-Anthony Towns started the game in attack mode, scoring 11 of his 21 points. He added 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the postseason.
OG Anunoby co-led the Knicks in scoring with 23 points while Miles McBride had 10 off the bench as six Knicks players scored in double figures.
New York ripped the game wide open in the second quarter, where they outscored Boston 38-17.
The Knicks sat on a very comfortable 27-point lead at the break, matching their biggest halftime lead in franchise history in the shot-clock era, which happened during Game 7 of the 1970 Finals that ended with their first championship.
Their championship-starved fans celebrated the Knicks’ return to the Eastern Conference Finals with frenzied celebration inside the Mecca led by Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet and the rest of the A-listers in the celebrity row up to the nosebleed section in the most expensive game in Knicks history.
The reported cheapest ticket was $673 (roughly Php 38,000) and the most expensive seat went for $17,330 (close to Php 1 million).
The fans got their money’s worth with a masterclass from the Knicks, who led by as many as 41 in the third quarter, which forced Celtics coach Joe Mazulla to throw in the towel and empty his bench.
The Knicks fans can feel it! Knicks in 6! pic.twitter.com/b3C9dlnHJv
— alder almo (@alderalmo) May 17, 2025
If the celebration inside the Mecca was electric, the scene outside was chaotic.
Fans chanted “F*ck Boston” and “We’re coming for you (Tyrese) Haliburton!”
The Knicks will face Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals that went the distance. The Pacers were also the team that the Knicks faced in their last Eastern Conference Finals trip in 2000.
It was a long time coming for the Knicks.
So, their fans were so hyped.
There was dancing on the streets while some bold fans climbed light poles.
Wild scenes outside MSG. pic.twitter.com/JmZeutwvYl
— alder almo (@alderalmo) May 17, 2025
Police had to close down 34th street and 7th Avenue, and it needed a Level 4 Mobilization from the NYPD for crowd control.
Knicks forward Josh Hart, who finished with a triple-double (10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists), showed Mikal Bridges a video clip of the wild scene outside the Garden.
“It’s crazy, man! But great for them. I’m happy for them,” Bridges said. “I’m new here, but I just know how much New York loves their sports, especially the Knicks. So excited to be part of it. They enjoy it for us right now, but obviously we’ve got way more to go.”
Bridges, whom the Knicks acquired from the Brooklyn Nets for five first-round picks, showed his real worth in this series. He had two game-winning defensive plays in Games 1 and 2. Then two 20-plus point performances in Games 4 and 6.
The Knicks front office traded for him and Towns in the offseason to counter the Celtics’ five-out starting lineup.
This iteration of the Knicks did what they were built to do. But they are far from satisfied.
“There’s more to go,” Bridges reminded. “You know, we’re not done.”
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals will begin on Wednesday (Thursday Manila time) with the Knicks hosting the Pacers.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.
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