Celtics Suffer Devastating Collapse: Humiliating Playoff Elimination by Knicks Leaves Boston in Shock—Fans Stunned as Hopes for Banner 18 Crumble, Locker Room in Tears, and Franchise Faces Uncertain Future.

Any hope the Celtics had of making it back to Boston for a Game 7 was gone by halftime.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 16: Mikal Bridges #25 of the New York Knicks strips the ball from Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics during the third quarter in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 16, 2025 in New York City.

The Boston Celtics made it back to New York without superstar teammate Jayson Tatum, in hopes of scratching out one more road win and getting a chance to pull off a comeback against the New York Knicks in their best-of-seven second-round series.

Instead, the C’s faceplanted, whimpering out of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in a 119-81 drubbing at the hands of the Knicks in Game 6 on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

Jaylen Brown finished with a Celtics-high 20 points, but his seven turnovers offset a lot of that positive production, as sloppy ball-handling and poor shooting by the rest of the team doomed them in the end. The Knicks, meanwhile, caught fire and fanned the flames throughout, finishing with a 46.2% shooting rate as a team. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby tied for the team lead with 23 points, as New York had four players score over 20.

The Celtics took an early 5-4 lead, and that would be the final time they led in the game, as the Knicks burst for a 7-0 run to go up 11-5. A deep 3-pointer by Kristaps Porzingis later in the first tied the game 16-16.

Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

But the Knicks stormed back ahead and never looked back from there, taking advantage of the Celtics’ sloppiness with the ball. A cut-and-dunk by Anunoby, 3-pointers from Karl-Anthony Towns and Miles Bridges, and bad-pass turnovers by Brown and Derrick White combined for an 8-0 run to put New York up 24-16.

Boston got two points back to make the deficit 26-20 after one quarter. But the Knicks started the second on a 7-0 run, again taking advantage of Brown’s turnovers, as he hesitated too long on a 3-point attempt and gave the ball away to a closing Mitchell Robinson. They would build to a 27-point halftime lead at 64-37, shooting 47.1% as a squad. New York had four players score in double-digits in the first half, led by Towns’ 16 points.

The Celtics, meanwhile, shot just 33.3% as a team (14-for-42) in the first half. Brown led the way with 18 points on 7-for-13 (53.8%) from the field, but White, Jrue Holiday, and Payton Pritchard combined for just six points on 2-for-17 shooting (11.8%). Brown committed six of his seven turnovers in the first half alone.

The Knicks carried it over to the third quarter with a quick 5-0 run. White drilled consecutive 3-pointers to stop the bleeding, but an ensuing 11-0 run by the Knicks made it 80-43.

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

New York led by as many as 41 points in the third quarter. Brown fouled out with 2:50 left in the third and the C’s down 33. The Knicks continued to pour it on well into the fourth, even after the Celtics waved the white flag on the season and pulled all starters.

Boston will now turn its attention to the offseason, when the club is expected to make a number of changes to its roster with the goal of reducing payroll and getting under the luxury tax aprons. Holiday ($32.4 million cap hit next season) and Porzingis ($30.7 million) are the most obvious trade candidates for president of basketball ops Brad Stevens.

Tatum, who ruptured his Achilles tendon near the end of Game 4, has no timetable for a return and could miss most or all of the 2025-26 season.

The Knicks, who ultimately earned an upset victory over the initially-favored Celtics, will now play in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 season. They will face the Indiana Pacers, who coincidentally faced them in that same conference finals series a quarter-century ago.

For the Celtics, it was an embarrassing and disheartening end to a once-promising run.