Awful shooting by the Celtics, combined with little to no energy from the team across the board, up against a ramped up Knicks squad at Madison Square Garden, and New York put them in a stranglehold. Boston shot 36% from the field and 29% from 3-point range, putting a nail in their own coffin as the Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference Finals.

New York saved its best performance for last, grabbing its first beatdown victory of the playoffs. The Knicks led the Celtics by 45 points at the end of the third quarter. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla put in his end-of-bench players before the fourth quarter even started.

The New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years and ended the one-year NBA title reign of the Boston Celtics with astonishing ease, rolling to a 119-81 victory