NEW YORK — The Celtics quest to repeat as champions came to a crashing halt on Friday night as the Knicks crushed Boston 119-81 in Game 6 at Madison Square Garden. The victory secures a 4-2 series win for the Knicks who will now advance to the East Finals to face the Pacers.
Boston turned to a new starting lineup with Luke Kornet getting the nod over Kristaps Porzingis in Game 6 in hopes of creating their second half magic from Game 5. The visitors hung around early thanks to some early Knicks misfires from 3-point range, with the game tied at 16-16 with two minutes remaining in the first quarter amid a sluggish start for both teams.
The Knicks erupted from there, turning the game into a rout in the final 14 minutes of the first half with a 48-21 outburst before intermission that produced one of Boston’s worst offensive first halves of the season. The hosts continued to pour it on in the second half, leading by as many as 41 points to the delight of the Garden crowd. The victory punches a ticket for the Knicks to their first conference finals appearance since 1999. The Celtics became the seventh straight defending champion that failed to make it past the second round.
Jaylen Brown finished with a team-high 20 points in the loss before fouling out in the third quarter. Jalen Brunson finished with 23 points while Karl Anthony-Towns added a double-double in a balanced offensive effort for the Knicks that had six different players scoring in double figures.
Here are four Celtics takeaways as the Celtics season came to a close Friday night:
Knicks dominate the offensive glass: The Knicks have had a big advantage in this area for most of the series but they doubled down their efforts on the glass early in this one. New York grabbed offensive rebounds on 45 percent of their misses, piling up 15 second chance points on 10 offensive rebounds in the first half alone. With the Knicks also making 47 percent of their shots in the first half, New York’s offense throughout the first 24 minutes, running out to a 27-point lead despite going 7-of-23 from 3-point range.
No show for the Celtics guards leaves Boston’s offense lifeless: Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Jrue Holiday all successfully stepped into bigger offensive roles in Game 5 with Jayson Tatum sidelined. All three did not look ready for the limelight in Game 6. The trip missed their first 10 shots from the field and went a collective 2-of-18 in the first half, mustering just six points. Needless to say, Boston’s offense was hopeless with any of them showing an ability to step up a second or third scoring option, highlighted by three missing all nine of their 3-point attempts in the first half. The early misfires dug Boston a hole that was too big to overcome.
Jaylen Brown’s turnover problems return: The All-Star played one of the best games of his career in Game 5 but postseason nightmares of the past returned in Game 6. He led all scorers with 18 points in the first half but piled up six of Boston’s 11 turnovers before intermission. Those miscues led to 14 points off turnovers in the first half alone. Those easy opportunities combined with the Knicks 15 second chance points helped turn the game into a rout by intermission.
Daunting offseason looms amid Jayson Tatum injury: A second round exit for this group is a huge stunner and could have easily happened even if Jayson Tatum remained healthy in this series. However, the focus now quickly turns to the future now as big questions await Brad Stevens as potential major changes loom to the supporting cast. Cost cuts were on the way anyway but now reconfiguring this group around Tatum for two years down the road suddenly becomes a bigger priority with his injury. That could lead to some notable deals this offseason as Boston considers trimming a high payroll and moving on from some pricy key members of the core.
