There was plenty of blame to spread around for the Celtics, but the biggest factors were poor 3-point shooting in Games 1 and 2 (Tatum), sloppy ball-handing that led to turnovers (Brown), poor end-of-game strategy (Mazzulla) and an inability to contain Brunson at key moments (Holiday).

While the Celtics and Pacers are two totally different teams, the Knicks can take what it took to seal the deal in Game 6 and bring it for Game 1.

The New York Knicks will face the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals for the right to represent the East in the 2025 NBA Finals.

The Knicks looked every bit like legitimate title contenders in their decisive Game 6 victory over the Boston Celtics. And if that version of New York shows up again in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers,

The Celtics were 4-0 against the New York Knicks in the regular season and were the team to beat going into the NBA Playoffs, but they fell apart against them in the postseason.

The Boston Celtics were trying to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in a series against the Knicks. The Knicks have been a tough team all year long, and they suddenly found themselves down 3-1.

For the first time since the 2020-21 season, the Boston Celtics will not be in the Eastern Conference Finals. After winning the NBA Finals last year, the No. 2 seed Celtics were upset by the No. 3 seed New York Knicks in the conference semifinals,