The 25-year spell ends! The Knicks beat the Celtics to the third championship

When the final whistle rang through Madison Square Garden, the scoreboard was frozen in the terrifying score difference of 119-81, and the roar of more than 40,000 New York fans shattered the silence that lasted for 25 years. This 38-point massacre that has been recorded in history not only nailed the defending champion Celtics to the pillar of shame, but also announced that the smoke of the Knicks' revival has risen. Brunson scored 28 points and 7 assists in the game, with a dominant performance of 28 points and 7 assists, like a sharp scalpel dismembering the Celtics' defense line, leading the team to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 1999-00 season.

The game progress can be regarded as a model of violent aesthetics in modern basketball. In the first quarter, the Knicks established a 6-point advantage with a suffocating defense, and in the second quarter, a horrifying wave of offensiveness was set off - the 38-17 shock wave in a single quarter completely defeated the opponent's psychological defense line. When the score difference in the third quarter broke through the 40-point mark, the defending flag of North Shore Garden drooped in the New Yorkers' carnival. This victory, which set the second largest score difference in the playoffs in the team history, perfectly interprets how the Iron Legion built by Thibodeau portrays the team basketball to the extreme: 6 players in the team scored in double digits, made 18 of 42 three-pointers, and scored in the penalty area to crush the opponent by 22 points.

The mystery appears in the historical cycle at this moment. The memories of the Eastern Conference that also fought against the Pacers 26 years ago have not yet faded, and now the two young troops meet again. It is interesting that last season, the Knicks fell to the Pacers and ended in the semi-finals, and this season, the two sides fought 2-2 in a stalemate, which laid the foreshadowing of revenge for this round of showdown. For Brunson, who averaged 32.1 points per game, breaking through the Pacers' front line encirclement will be a key battle to hit the third championship in the team history.

This basketball temple is witnessing the miracle rebirth. From Willis Reed's staggering entry in 1973 to the Ewing era's four defeats in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks' championship drought has lasted for 52 years. Now as the inside iron gate guarded by Towns becomes increasingly stable, the wing firepower network formed by Hart and Divinchenzo is impeccable, the New Yorker's dream of returning to the top after half a century has never been so close. When the locker room champagne was sprayed, Brunson's declaration, "We've just set off" may be writing a new legendary prelude.