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NEW YORK — Joe Mazzulla and Al Horford congratulated and spoke briefly with some players and coaches of the Knicks before exiting the floor at Madison Square Garden under flashing blue and orange strobe lights.

“Knicks in 6, baby!” a Knicks fan yelled down at Horford as he entered the tunnel.

“Adios, Joe! Adios,” yelled another towards Mazzulla.

It was a scene nobody would’ve imagined even a few weeks ago. The Boston Celtics — a team that won 61 games in their title defense season, joining the 2012–13 Heat and 2015–16 Warriors as the only teams to reach 60+ wins while defending a title in the last 15 years — eliminated in the second round following a 38-point loss in Game 6 to the New York Knicks.

“Finishing in May feels weird,” said Jaylen Brown. “Definitely not something we were prepared for.”

Photo credit Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This team was supposed to be playing into June. Instead, they become the latest stat in a trend they were well aware of — six straight reigning NBA champions have now failed to make it out of the second round. For the Celtics, it was the first time since the 2020-21 season that they failed to reach the Conference Finals.

“It stings, as it should. Any time losing, it stings, especially finishing your season like this. But it just wasn’t our year,” Brown said. “Battling through injury, we had some ups and downs, etc. But proud of our guys, they came out and fought. So, still have a lot to hang our heads about. Tonight is just unfortunate. It sucks.”

The Celtics had their chances. They led by 20 in both Games 1 and 2 — and blew both, becoming the first team in the play-by-play era (since 1996–97) to lose multiple postseason games after leading by 20 or more. They rebounded in Game 3, but unraveled defensively in Game 4 — a game that turned disastrous not just because of the 3–1 series deficit, but because Jayson Tatum ruptured his Achilles. The injury is expected to sideline him for most, if not all, of next season.

Asking Boston to beat the Knicks three straight times without him was too tall a task, and after an inspired win in Game 5, they were run out of the gym in Game 6.

Some will call the season a disappointment. A team that brought back 15 of 17 players from last year’s title run — an unmatched level of continuity — bowed out in the second round. There was talk of becoming the first Celtics team to win back-to-back titles since the Bill Russell–Red Auerbach era of the 1960s.

But between Tatum’s season-ending injury, Brown’s lingering knee issue, Kristaps Porzingis’ mystery illness, Jrue Holiday’s hamstring, and Sam Hauser’s ankle, the Celtics, once a well-oiled machine, were running on fumes.

Just like that, a dominant two-year run came to a sudden, painful halt.

“I told the guys in the locker room, one of the honors of my life was to be able to coach this group of guys,” Mazzulla said. “So you go down the list, every one of these guys is a champion, a warrior, and they’ve done a lot of great things in this league. It’s an honor to be able to share the locker room with them, be next to them on the court, and be in the arena with them. So I’m grateful for that, and to me, it just shows who they are as people, who they are as players. But that’s really what it’s all about, those guys.”

Photo credit Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Friday night was likely the final time we’ll see this iteration of the Celtics together. That’s the reality under the new CBA. The league’s push for parity — with its second apron penalties and harsh financial restrictions — makes it almost impossible to keep elite, expensive rosters intact.

“It sucks and you can’t get this season back. We’re never going to have the exact same team again,” said Derrick White. “So, obviously, there were some highs and also some lows of this season. At the moment, we’re just kind of down.”

That reality seemed to settle in after the game. A team that went 147–47 over the past two seasons — 100 games over .500, including the playoffs — and finally accomplished the long-awaited goal of raising Banner 18 last spring, will be no more. But they’re grateful for the experience, and Celtics fans were lucky to witness it.

“I just love playing with the guys that we have in that locker room,” said White. “Just a great group of guys that compete at a high level. Off the court, have a lot of fun. That’s what I’m probably the most proud of. Just being able to say that I put on a Boston Celtics uniform with an amazing group of people.”

Photo credit Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

“Just a bunch of great guys,” added Brown. “A bunch of great, selfless guys, about winning, that put their bodies on the line, that came into work every day, that just added to the group. No situations, no headaches, no turmoil or anything like that. That’s what’s most important about our group. We had a bunch of great days together.”

It’s hard to win in the NBA. There’s a reason only 13 teams in league history have ever repeated as champions. A lot has to go right, and this year, the Celtics were reminded of that.

“There is a perspective at the end of the day. We set a goal, and we didn’t achieve that goal,” said Mazzulla. “But that shouldn’t take away from me, the mindset, the effort the players put in. We have a responsibility and ownership, but we didn’t do it. The approach, the process to it, you can’t ask for any more from the guys. Thought they gave everything they had throughout the season, obviously we didn’t achieve that, but can’t take away from what they did. This is the price you pay for trying to go after something. This is how it goes. Really just thankful to the guys for who they are as people, what they’ve done as players, and what they’ve done as a team.”

This was an incredibly special group. That 10-by-15-foot banner will hang above the parquet forever, a lasting tribute to what they accomplished. It’s a shame league rules won’t let them stay together longer. But they did what they were built to do — win a title. And when history looks back, this team will be remembered as one of the best-built in Celtics and NBA history.

Photo credit David Butler II-Imagn Images

Now, it’s on to the next phase of the Tatum-Brown era — one that’ll begin with Tatum on the sideline and some new faces in the mix.

But despite the uncertainty, belief and optimism remain.

“There is a lot to be excited for. This journey is not the end; it’s not the end for me,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to coming back stronger, so you just take this with your chin up. I know Boston – it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year. But there’s a lot to look forward to. I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”