New York’s 38-point victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 was the biggest win in Knick Sprayoff history.
Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby scored 23 points as the New York Knicks scored 23 points.
Mikal Bridges scored 22 points, while Karl Anthony Towns added 21 points and 12 rebounds to third-seeded New York. The Knicks concluded the Best of Seven Series with the biggest playoff margin in franchise history.
“We should go more,” Bridges said. “We’re not finished. We went out there tonight and played hard and dealt with business. But our season isn’t over. We should go more.”
New York surpassed a 36-point playoff victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in the decisive Game 5 of the 1970 Eastern Division Finals.
Josh Hart has contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists to record New York’s first postseason triple double since Walt Frasier accomplished the feat in 1972.
“I want to congratulate the Celtics on a great season,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “Unfortunate injuries to Jason Tatum. They’re a great organization, ownership and front office, and Joe Matzra is a great coach and a great player.
“They’re not going to give you anything. You have to win it.”
The Knicks will open the conference final at home against the fourth seeded Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
Defending NBA champion Boston was led by Jaylen Brown, who scored 20 points, six rebounds and six assists before fouling out late in the third quarter. The Celtics were on a short hand again after losing Tatum to a bursting right Achilles in Game 4 on Monday.
“We beat a great team, whether we were upset,” Branson said. “They obviously lost a huge piece (at Tatum). The way they came out in Game 5 is that they’re still a good team. Regardless of what everyone is thinking – upset or not – we’ll come out of the series with victory and now we’ll prepare for another team.”
New York shot 46.2% from the field. This includes 16 out of 45 (35.6%) from the 3-point range. The Knicks retained the advantage of a 55-36 rebound.
Payton Pritchard scored 11 points, while Al Horford added 10 to Boston. This shot 36%, 40% (30%) from the 3-point range.
The score tied at 16 before the Knicks began to pull away.
New York led 26-20 at the end of the first quarter and then opened second with a 16-4 surge to open an 18-point lead over the period.
After Boston’s Luke Cornett stopped the burst on a three-point play, the Knicks rattled 16 of their next 21 points to take a 58-32 lead on a put-back dunk from Miles “Deuce” McBride.
McBride filled in the three pointers as time expired due to a 64-37 lead on the break. This marked New York’s biggest half-time advantage with a break since leading the Los Angeles Lakers 69-42 in Chapter 7 of the 1970 final.
“You’ve won the championship and you’ve got that target on your back from day one,” Celtics guard Derrick White said he’s violated winning back-to-back NBA titles. “Each season has its ups and downs. This part was terrible and we didn’t complete the goals we set out to gain.”
The contest effectively ended when Brown fouled out at 2:50 in the third quarter, with Boston falling at 33. Anunoby poured it with consecutive 3 pointers, finishing a 10-0 push, with margins exceeding 40 at 92-51, with 1:51 remaining third.
“They played better than us,” Matzra said. “I’m tibally pleased [Thibodeau]. He’s been coaching for a long time. That’s the biggest thing. You pay the membership fee and pay it all. The man is a lifelong man. He’s everything about coaching and he deserves it. And they deserve it as a team. You had to take off your hat. ”
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