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NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Celtics felt the weight of their championship aspirations dimming as they exited Madison Square Garden earlier this week.
Jayson Tatum had been carted off the court with an injury that ends his season, just minutes before the Celtics faced the potential of being eliminated. The atmosphere among the players was notably somber.
However, the defending NBA champions are far from finished.
The Celtics are set to return to New York on Friday night for Game 6 (8 ET, ESPN) of the Eastern Conference semifinals, confident in their ability to prolong the series and postpone the Knicks’ 25-year journey back to the conference finals.
“At this point, it’s win or hit the road, so none of us want to go home, and we realize it’s only going to get tougher,” Celtics guard Derrick White remarked. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet. We’ve just got to find a way to head to New York and secure a victory.”
Historically, only 13 teams have managed to overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series, and the Celtics are looking to do so without their top scorer, who tore his right Achilles tendon late in the Knicks’ 121-113 victory in Game 4.
“It’s easy to write us off. What happened to JT is unfortunate, but we still have games to play,” asserted Celtics star Jaylen Brown. “I have faith in this team, so don’t dismiss us just yet.”
The Celtics achieved a decisive 127-102 win on Wednesday and have led by a minimum of 14 points in the second halves of all five games. While the Knicks have mounted comebacks to win three of them, the starters recognize the need to avoid creating early deficits.
“We need to improve,” stated Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson plainly.
A win for the Knicks would push them into the conference finals for the first time since losing to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. The Pacers, who eliminated the top-seeded Cleveland, would be the challengers once again, with a series beginning Wednesday in New York.
Should the Celtics secure a victory, a Game 7 would be staged in Boston on Monday, with the winner facing merely a day of rest before going up against the Pacers.
White delivered an impressive 34 points in Game 5 and has shot 13-for-24 from beyond the arc in the past two games. Brown contributed 26 points along with 12 assists and eight rebounds, demonstrating that the Celtics’ strength extends beyond Tatum, having scored at least 19 points in all five games.
“They’re the defending champions,” remarked Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns. “Losing Tatum is definitely a significant setback for them, but we know they are capable of outperforming any opponent on any given night.”
