Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown had an emotional message for the fan base after Friday night’s 119-81 series-ending blowout loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“Finishing in May feels weird. It’s definitely not something we were prepared for,” said Brown, who led the Celtics with 20 points prior to fouling out before the end of the third quarter after committing seven turnovers.
“Things didn’t go our way this year, and it’s unfortunate. But we hold our head up regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll get ready for whatever’s next in the journey.”
Celtics Trailed By As Many As 41 Points In Game 6
After becoming the first NBA team to give up 20-point leads and lose in back-to-back playoff games to open the series, the Celtics didn’t have a big lead to blow Friday, as the Knicks led by as many as 41 points.
Although the Celtics rallied for a victory in Game 5 that forced a return trip to New York, they were no match for the Knicks after leading scorer Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles tendon in Monday’s Game 4.
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— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 17, 2025
In addition to Tatum’s injury, the Celtics never had center Kristaps Porzingis playing at full strength. The former All-Star averaged just 15.5 minutes per game in two starts and four games off the bench against New York.
Porzingis was a key contributor against the Knicks in the regular season, when he averaged 25 points on 50% shooting and Boston went 4-0.
However, Porzingis finished 6-of-25 shooting and averaged just 4.2 points in the series.
“Super, super frustrating. As frustrating as you can imagine. Just to not be able to help this team more, especially with JT going out,” Porzingis said. “Not being too much of a help just hurts deep inside.”
Boston Had An Anticlimactic End To An Exciting Season
Similar to the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the reigning NBA champs had a disappointing season considering what the team accomplished in the regular season.
Boston set the single-season record for most 3-pointers attempted and made. The Celtics attempted 3,955 shots from beyond the arc, and they made 1,457 of those shots. Both set single-season records.
But in Game 1 against the Knicks, the Celtics set an NBA playoff record with 45 missed 3-pointers in their unforgettable loss. Boston led by as many as 20 points before the Knicks battled their way back.
The Celtics shot a combined 4-of-26 on 3s in the fourth quarters of Games 1 and 2. In those losses, the team also went 3-of-20 shooting in clutch time, defined as the last five minutes of the game with the score within five points.
“You’ll never get this season back. You’re never going to have the exact same team again,” said Celtics guard Derrick White, who scored eight points in Game 6. “So obviously, there were some highs and, obviously, some lows of the season, but at the moment, it’s just kind of down.”
This was Boston’s first second-round series loss since 2019 against the Milwaukee Bucks.
