The New York Knicks was like, so close to moving on to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in like, forever, but they couldn’t bounce back from being down by a lot in Game 5 against the Boston Celtics. The Celtics, missing their main man Jayson Tatum, managed to keep their lead and snagged a 127-102 win to stay alive in the series. Now the Knicks gotta head back to Madison Square Garden for Game 6 and try to finish off the Celtics once and for all. If they win, they get to face the Indiana Pacers, but if the Celtics manage to pull off a win on the road, then it’s Game 7 time in Boston.
Teams that are up 3-1 in the NBA playoffs usually end up winning like, almost all the time, with only a few teams out of a whole bunch coming back to win three games in a row. The Celtics are gonna have to try to pull off that crazy comeback without Tatum, who hurt his Achilles in Game 4. But hey, his teammates really stepped up in Game 5, especially Derrick White who dropped 34 points and Jaylen Brown who put up 26 points and a career-high 12 assists in the postseason. Together, they crushed it in the first half, erasing a nine-point lead by the Knicks and sinking a bunch of threes.
At halftime, the game was all tied up at 59-59, but then the Celtics went on a tear in the third quarter, going on a 16-3 run to take a commanding lead. Jalen Brunson got into foul trouble and had to sit out most of the third quarter, which didn’t help the Knicks’ cause. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Celtics had a huge lead that the Knicks just couldn’t chip away at. Brunson fouled out with over seven minutes left, finishing with 22 points and six assists. Josh Hart led the Knicks with 24 points, Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points, and Mitchell Robinson had a killer game off the bench, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
But wait, there’s more drama as Kristaps Porzingis didn’t even play in the second half for the Celtics, only scoring one point in 12 minutes. Luke Kornet came off the bench and balled out with 10 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks. The Celtics got contributions from Payton Pritchard, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford to seal the deal, shooting lights out from deep. Now the Knicks are back home and looking to close out the series on their own turf for the first time in forever, with the Eastern Conference Finals in sight. Can they do it, or will the Celtics force a Game 7? Only time will tell, folks.
