Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown sent an emotional message to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals after ending blowout losses on Friday night's 119-81 series.
“It felt strange at the end of May. It was definitely not something we prepared,” Brown said. Brown led the Celtics with 20 points and then made seven turnovers before the end of the third quarter.
“It's not going away this year, and it's unfortunate. But, no matter what, we all look up. Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I'm always told there's life after death, so we'll prepare for the next step on the journey.”
Celtics trail as much as 41 points in Game 6
In becoming the first NBA team to give up a 20-point lead and lose in the back-to-back playoffs to open the series, the Celtics didn’t get a huge lead in Friday’s game as the Knicks led by up to 41 points.
Despite the Celtics' victory in Game 5, which forced New York to return, leading scorer Jayson Tatum was unmatched with the Knicks after leading scorer Jayson Tatum defeated the Achilles tendon in Game 4 Monday.
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCELTICS) May 17, 2025
Apart from Tatum's injury, the Celtics never let Kristaps Porzingis go all out. The former All-Star averaged just 15.5 minutes per game in two games, and played four games against New York.
Porzingis was a key contributor to the regular season against the Knicks when he hit 50% and Boston scored 25 points with 4-0.
However, Porzingis scored six shots in 25 shots, with an average of only 4.2 points.
“Super frustrating. It's frustrating as you think. It's just not helping this team, especially JT out,” Porzingis said. “Not much help is just deep down.”
The exciting season in Boston is over
Similar to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the defending NBA champion’s season was a disappointing season given the team’s achievements in the regular season.
Boston has set and set a single season record for most three-pointers. The Celtics tried to shoot 3,955 shots from outside the arc and they made 1,457 shots. Both set a single-season record.
But in the first game against the Knicks, the Celtics set an NBA playoff record with 45 shots without three-pointers in an unforgettable loss. Boston led the way with as many as 20 points before the Knicks fight.
The Celtics hit a 26-shot total in the fourth quarter of Games 1 and 2. Clutch timeDefined as the last five minutes of the game, the score is within five points.
Celtics guard Derrick White said: “You will never come back. You will never have the exact same team again.
This is Boston's first second-round series since 2019 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
