Jalen Brunson wasn’t able to have fun.
Not but.
Moments after Monday evening’s Sport 4 win over the Boston Celtics, Brunson inspired his Knicks teammates to clear the Madison Sq. Backyard courtroom.
The come-from-behind 121-113 victory had simply put the Knicks up 3-1 in opposition to the defending NBA champions within the best-of-seven second-round playoff collection.
However there was nonetheless work to be completed.
“For the longest time, whenever something is accomplished, I’m looking forward to the next,” Brunson mentioned afterward.
What’s subsequent for the Knicks is Sport 5 at TD Backyard in Boston on Wednesday evening.
With a win, the Knicks would advance to the Japanese Convention Finals for the primary time since 2000.
They’re going through an embattled Celtics crew that’s blown second-half leads of at the very least 14 factors in all three defeats, and that misplaced Jayson Tatum — its chief in factors, rebounds and assists — to a devastating leg damage towards the top of Sport 4.
However closing out a collection has confirmed to be a problem for the Knicks in current playoff runs.
The Knicks are 2-4 of their final six video games wherein a win would get rid of their opponent. They misplaced at the very least one such sport in every of their earlier three collection, courting again to final postseason.
Final yr, the Knicks have been up 3-1 on the Philadelphia 76ers once they misplaced Sport 5 on the Backyard.
In that sport, the Knicks went up by six factors with 28.2 seconds remaining in regulation, however Tyrese Maxey drilled back-to-back 3-pointers — one for a four-point play, and the opposite from 34 toes out — to pressure additional time, the place the Sixers gained, 112-106.
The Knicks gained Sport 6 in Philadelphia to advance to the second spherical.
In that second spherical, the Knicks took a 3-2 collection lead over the Indiana Pacers, however they misplaced Sport 6 on the street earlier than being blown out at house, 130-109, in Sport 7.
Accidents caught as much as the Knicks in that collection, with Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, Josh Hart and, ultimately, Brunson all lacking time, taking part in by one thing, or each.
After which in these playoffs, the Knicks went up 3-1 on the Detroit Pistons within the first spherical, solely to lose Sport 5 at house, 106-103. The Knicks rebounded with a 116-113 win in Sport 6 in Detroit behind 40 factors 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 mentioned after Monday’s victory. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
The Knicks had extra success in elimination situations in 2023, once they put away the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 video games — and gained the ultimate three — within the first spherical.
They then fell behind 3-1 to the eventual Japanese Convention champion Miami Warmth, however the Knicks extended that second-round collection with a Sport 5 win at house earlier than being eradicated with a Sport 6 loss in South Seaside.
The roster has modified significantly since then, nevertheless, with Brunson, Hart, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride — then a little-used reserve — the one holdovers.
“Just reset,” Robinson mentioned Monday of the mindset going into Sport 5, “and try to get it.”
In fact, the Celtics can’t be taken frivolously.
They’re the NBA’s reigning champions, and even with out Tatum, Boston boasts a star-powered roster that features Jaylen Brown, Jrue Vacation, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Kristaps Porzingis.
However with Monday’s win, the Knicks went from the longest odds (+550) to win the East to the favorites within the convention (+120), in accordance with ESPN Guess.
“We’re a good team. We’ve known that all year,” Hart mentioned after Sport 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.”
