The 2025 Knicks are proving once again that the playoffs are a whole different ballgame.
After a regular season marked by struggles against elite competition — including an 0-10 record against the NBA’s top three teams and a string of lackluster performances against the Boston Celtics — few could have predicted the dramatic turnaround. But following Monday night’s 121-113 victory at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks are now just one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
And with that step, they inch closer to ending a 52-year championship drought.
“It just takes some time,” said Mikal Bridges, who has emerged as a key contributor in his first season with the team. “I know everybody wants success early on. But we all kept working and improving.”
Bridges tallied 23 points and seven rebounds, bolstering another electric performance from Jalen Brunson. The Knicks’ floor general dropped 39 points, dished out 12 assists, and grabbed five rebounds—18 of those points came during a surging third quarter where New York erased a 14-point deficit to take control heading into the fourth.
“There was definitely a sense of urgency and desperation,” Brunson said after the game. “We knew we had a great opportunity in front of us, and we’re still growing. I don’t think we’ve even played our best basketball yet. This is a pretty new group. There’s a lot left for us to learn.”
That mentality has fueled a remarkable postseason run. When the buzzer sounded to seal their Game 4 win and a 3-1 series lead over Boston—a team that had swept them in the regular season—Brunson urged his teammates not to celebrate.
“I was actually telling everyone to get off the court,” Brunson said. “There’s nothing to celebrate.”
The fans may be doing enough celebrating for them. New Yorkers have witnessed a gritty revival of their team, which has consistently risen when the moment demanded it most.
Despite Detroit Pistons wing Malik Beasley’s claim that his team was “mentally tougher” in their first-round matchup, the Knicks proved otherwise. They erased fourth-quarter deficits of eight points in Game 1, 11 points in Game 4, and seven points with under three minutes remaining in a dramatic Game 6 finish.
Their second-round heroics have been even more dramatic. New York stormed back from 20-point deficits in each of the first two games in Boston to steal victories. On Monday night, they overcame another daunting 14-point gap to secure the Game 4 win.
“We’ve known all year that we’re a good team,” said Josh Hart. “But we can’t get comfortable. A 3-1 lead means nothing unless you close it out. We have to go into Game 5 with urgency and desperation right from the start.”
Game 5 is set for Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston, tipping off at 7 p.m. ET.
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