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Jalen Brunson wasn’t ready to celebrate.
Not yet.
Moments after Monday night’s Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics, Brunson encouraged his Knicks teammates to clear the Madison Square Garden court.
The come-from-behind 121-113 victory had just put the Knicks up 3-1 against the defending NBA champions in the best-of-seven second-round playoff series.
But there was still work to be done.
“For the longest time, whenever something is accomplished, I’m looking forward to the next,” Brunson said afterward.
What’s next for the Knicks is Game 5 at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday night.
With a win, the Knicks would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
They’re facing an embattled Celtics team that’s blown second-half leads of at least 14 points in all three defeats, and that lost Jayson Tatum — its leader in points, rebounds and assists — to a devastating leg injury toward the end of Game 4.
But closing out a series has proven to be a challenge for the Knicks in recent playoff runs.
The Knicks are 2-4 in their last six games in which a win would eliminate their opponent. They lost at least one such game in each of their previous three series, dating back to last postseason.
Last year, the Knicks were up 3-1 on the Philadelphia 76ers when they lost Game 5 at the Garden.
In that game, the Knicks went up by six points with 28.2 seconds remaining in regulation, but Tyrese Maxey drilled back-to-back 3-pointers — one for a four-point play, and the other from 34 feet out — to force overtime, where the Sixers won, 112-106.
The Knicks won Game 6 in Philadelphia to advance to the second round.
In that second round, the Knicks took a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers, but they lost Game 6 on the road before being blown out at home, 130-109, in Game 7.
Injuries caught up to the Knicks in that series, with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, Josh Hart and, in the end, Brunson all missing time, playing through something, or both.
And then in these playoffs, the Knicks went up 3-1 on the Detroit Pistons in the first round, only to lose Game 5 at home, 106-103. The Knicks rebounded with a 116-113 win in Game 6 in Detroit behind 40 points from Brunson.
“Whatever the series, each game, you’ve got to go in and put the work into winning that particular game,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Monday’s victory. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
The Knicks had more success in elimination scenarios in 2023, when they put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games — and won the final three — in the first round.
They then fell behind 3-1 to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, but the Knicks prolonged that second-round series with a Game 5 win at home before being eliminated with a Game 6 loss in South Beach.
The roster has changed considerably since then, however, with Brunson, Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride — then a little-used reserve — the only holdovers.
“Just reset,” Robinson said Monday of the mindset going into Game 5, “and try to get it.”
Of course, the Celtics can’t be taken lightly.
They’re the NBA’s reigning champions, and even without Tatum, Boston boasts a star-powered roster that includes Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Kristaps Porzingis.
Following Game 4, Porzingis said the Celtics still have enough firepower to compete without Tatum.
But with Monday’s win, the Knicks went from the longest odds (+550) to win the East to the favorites in the conference (+120), according to ESPN Bet.
“We’re a good team. We’ve known that all year,” Hart said after Game 4. “We’ve just got to build from this. Obviously, we’re up 3-1, but that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve got to go into this next game with a sense of desperation, a sense of urgency from the jump.”
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Not yet.
Moments after Monday night’s Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics, Brunson encouraged his Knicks teammates to clear the Madison Square Garden court.
The come-from-behind 121-113 victory had just put the Knicks up 3-1 against the defending NBA champions in the best-of-seven second-round playoff series.
But there was still work to be done.
“For the longest time, whenever something is accomplished, I’m looking forward to the next,” Brunson said afterward.
What’s next for the Knicks is Game 5 at TD Garden in Boston on Wednesday night.
With a win, the Knicks would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.
They’re facing an embattled Celtics team that’s blown second-half leads of at least 14 points in all three defeats, and that lost Jayson Tatum — its leader in points, rebounds and assists — to a devastating leg injury toward the end of Game 4.
But closing out a series has proven to be a challenge for the Knicks in recent playoff runs.
The Knicks are 2-4 in their last six games in which a win would eliminate their opponent. They lost at least one such game in each of their previous three series, dating back to last postseason.
Last year, the Knicks were up 3-1 on the Philadelphia 76ers when they lost Game 5 at the Garden.
In that game, the Knicks went up by six points with 28.2 seconds remaining in regulation, but Tyrese Maxey drilled back-to-back 3-pointers — one for a four-point play, and the other from 34 feet out — to force overtime, where the Sixers won, 112-106.
The Knicks won Game 6 in Philadelphia to advance to the second round.
In that second round, the Knicks took a 3-2 series lead over the Indiana Pacers, but they lost Game 6 on the road before being blown out at home, 130-109, in Game 7.
Injuries caught up to the Knicks in that series, with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, Josh Hart and, in the end, Brunson all missing time, playing through something, or both.
And then in these playoffs, the Knicks went up 3-1 on the Detroit Pistons in the first round, only to lose Game 5 at home, 106-103. The Knicks rebounded with a 116-113 win in Game 6 in Detroit behind 40 points from Brunson.
“Whatever the series, each game, you’ve got to go in and put the work into winning that particular game,” head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Monday’s victory. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
The Knicks had more success in elimination scenarios in 2023, when they put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games — and won the final three — in the first round.
They then fell behind 3-1 to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat, but the Knicks prolonged that second-round series with a Game 5 win at home before being eliminated with a Game 6 loss in South Beach.
The roster has changed considerably since then, however, with Brunson, Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride — then a little-used reserve — the only holdovers.
“Just reset,” Robinson said Monday of the mindset going into Game 5, “and try to get it.”
Of course, the Celtics can’t be taken lightly.
They’re the NBA’s reigning champions, and even without Tatum, Boston boasts a star-powered roster that includes Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Kristaps Porzingis.
Following Game 4, Porzingis said the Celtics still have enough firepower to compete without Tatum.
But with Monday’s win, the Knicks went from the longest odds (+550) to win the East to the favorites in the conference (+120), according to ESPN Bet.
“We’re a good team. We’ve known that all year,” Hart said after Game 4. “We’ve just got to build from this. Obviously, we’re up 3-1, but that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve got to go into this next game with a sense of desperation, a sense of urgency from the jump.”
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