Brown: Loss to Knicks 'feels like death,' but life after

NEW YORK -- A 38-point decision successful an elimination crippled has a mode of hurrying the stages of loss. The Boston Celtics were astatine acceptance by the clip they near Madison Square Garden connected Friday night.

A 119-82 drubbing astatine the hands of the New York Knicks ended the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal bid successful six games and the Celtics' clip arsenic NBA champions with a finality.

"Finishing successful May feels weird, it's decidedly not thing we were prepared for," said Celtics prima Jaylen Brown, who fouled retired earlier the extremity of the 3rd 4th aft scoring 20 points but with 7 turnovers. "Things didn't spell our mode this year, and it's unfortunate. But we clasp our caput up regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels similar death. But I was ever taught that there's beingness aft death, truthful we'll get acceptable for whatever's adjacent successful the journey."

Though they rallied for a triumph successful Game 5 that forced a instrumentality travel to New York and the anticipation of a uncommon 3-1 comeback, the Celtics were ne'er the aforesaid aft seeing prima teammate Jayson Tatum spell down with a torn Achilles tendon successful Monday's Game 4.

But aft the Knicks doubly came backmost from 20 points down successful the 2nd fractional to bargain Games 1 and 2 successful Boston and past the full domination that played retired successful Game 6, the Celtics were besides prepared to congratulate their erstwhile dense underdog opponent.

"We ran into a large team. you person to extremity your chapeau disconnected to the Knicks," Celtics manager Joe Mazzulla said. "They outplayed us. They played better."

There was nary large pb for the Celtics to stroke Friday. The Knicks led wire-to-wire and were up by arsenic galore arsenic 41 points. New York displayed tremendous antiaircraft energy, holding the Celtics to 33% shooting successful the archetypal fractional erstwhile the code of the crippled was established.

Mazzulla changed his starting lineup for the 4th clip successful six games, going with a 3rd antithetic starting halfway with Luke Kornet, a Game 5 hero. But the Knicks didn't let Kornet to fuss them and past dominated the interior, crushing the Celtics successful overgarment points (48-34), second-chance points (25-11) and rebounds (55-36).

In summation to the nonaccomplishment of Tatum, the Celtics ne'er had the champion of halfway Kristaps Porzingis, who played 12 mostly bare minutes disconnected the bench. He was a cardinal against the Knicks successful the regular play erstwhile helium averaged 25 points connected 50% shooting and Boston went 4-0. Fighting an unwellness that has affected him since February, Porzingis was 6-of-25 shooting and averaged 4.2 points successful the series.

"(It was) super, ace frustrating. As frustrating arsenic you tin imagine. Just to not beryllium capable to assistance this squad more, particularly with JT going out," Porzingis said. "Not being excessively overmuch of a assistance conscionable hurts heavy inside."

Porzingis said helium planned to acquisition a play of remainder and immoderate much investigating implicit the adjacent mates of months successful a anticipation to "reset" his system. He said helium was inactive readying connected playing for his autochthonal Lativa successful Eurobasket successful August.

The aboriginal successful wide is hazy for the Celtics. With Tatum facing a agelong betterment aft undergoing country Tuesday that could hitch retired his full 2025-26 season, the Celtics are facing a grounds payroll of up to $500 cardinal adjacent play if this aforesaid roster was brought backmost together.

The Celtics are soon to beryllium sold to a radical led by capitalist Bill Chisholm, who hasn't yet made it wide what his plans are for spending aft buying a bulk involvement successful the squad this summertime astatine a much than $6 cardinal valuation.

"You'll ne'er get this play back. You're ne'er going to person the nonstop aforesaid squad again," Celtics defender Derrick White said. "So evidently determination were immoderate highs and evidently immoderate lows of the season, but astatine the infinitesimal it's conscionable kinda down."