The New York Knicks had a golden opportunity, a chance to exorcise 25 years of playoff demons and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals on the Boston Celtics’ home floor. Instead, Game 5 at TD Garden turned into a nightmare with an unfortunate and brutal 127-102 beatdown that served as a jarring reality check. Even with Celtics star Jayson Tatum sidelined with an Achilles injury, the Knicks couldn’t capitalize, and the post-game admissions from key players painted a grim picture of a team that unraveled at the worst possible moment.
The raw frustration was palpable in Mikal Bridges’ voice. After a series where the Knicks had shown resilience in comebacks, their inability to mount one in this crucial closeout game was telling. “We just kept fighting and they just kept going,” Bridges lamented, acknowledging the Celtics’ relentless pressure.
Mikal Bridges on why the Knicks couldn’t get a comeback going in Game 5:
“We just kept fighting and they just kept going. We just can’t keep putting ourselves in those situations especially when it’s close at half.” pic.twitter.com/bf0aSbYucb
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 15, 2025
But he quickly pivoted to the Knicks’ self-inflicted wounds: “We just can’t keep putting ourselves in those situations especially when it’s close at half.” The most damning indictment came when he pinpointed the core issues: “We didn’t get back on defense, didn’t communicate at all.” In the intensity of a playoff elimination game, those are fatal flaws.
Jalen Brunson, the engine of this Knicks team, didn’t mince words either. When confronted with the starters’ dismal -22 rating in the series leading into Game 5, his response was blunt: “We need to be better, flat-out.” He echoed Bridges’ concerns about their energy, particularly after halftime. “They came out with a sense of urgency that we need,” Brunson admitted, a clear nod to the Celtics out hustling and outplaying them when the game was on the line. The Knicks, who had led by as many as nine in the first half, simply couldn’t match Boston’s desperation.
“They came out with a sense of urgency that we need.”
Jalen Brunson talks about the Knicks’ struggles coming out of halftime tonight: pic.twitter.com/boRYowFXb1
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 15, 2025
(This is a developing story…)
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