"The Tatum injury along with the Knicks firepower proved too much for Boston to overcome."
The Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons in round one after six games. The Celtics defeated the Orlando Magic in five games in round one.
The Celtics came into the playoffs as the two seed with a 61-21 regular season record. They were widely regarded as the favorite over the 51-31 Knicks.
Game one was an overtime battle that saw the Knicks win 108-105. They took a 2-0 series lead with a 91-90 comeback win in game two.
The Celtics bounced back in game three with a dominant 115-93 win, but dropped game four 121-113 to make the series 3-1 in the Knicks favor.
Not only did the Celtics drop game four, but their superstar Jayson Tatum left the game with an apparent injury with just under 3:00 left. He was later diagnosed with a torn Achilles that ended his season. He will need extensive rehab for his Achilles. The timetable for his return is uncertain. He will miss part, if not all, of the 2025-2026 season.
The Celtics came through for the TD Garden crowd in game five while facing elimination with a 127-102 win.
The Knicks dominated in game six with a 119-81 victory in New York to send the Celtics home. The Tatum injury along with the Knicks firepower proved too much for Boston to overcome.
The Knicks will host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, May 21 to kick off the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers went 50-32 in the regular season; good enough to give them the four seed in the Eastern Conference.
The schedule for the Eastern Conference finals is as follows.
Game 1: Wednesday, May 21
Game 2: Friday, May 23
Game 3: Sunday, May 25
Game 4: Tuesday, May 27
Game 5: Thursday, May 29
Game 6: Saturday, May 31
Game 7: Monday, June 2
*All games at 8:00 PM ET.
Key Stat
Jayson Tatum diagnosed with a torn Achilles, ending his season.
Final Score
Knicks 119, Celtics 81
