Knicks beat the Celtics to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals with 38 points! Start again 25 years later, the Celtics will face a major reshuffle

Knicks 119-81 beat the Celtics and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final with 38 points! When the final whistle sounded, the sound of Madison Gardens could overturn the roof – this was the first time the Knicks returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years! The last time they stood here was in the 1999-00 season, Brunson's father Rick Brunson was just a marginal substitute on the team; 25 years later, Brunson Jr. came back with the Knicks, and even Thibodeau became the "Godfather of New York" from his assistant coach back then.

This victory is the "revenge" of the Knicks and the "collapse" of the Celtics - after Tatum was seriously injured, the Celtics completely broke up; Brown scored 20 points, 7 turnovers + 6 fouls, Holiday scored 4 points on 1 of 8, White scored 8 points + lost 45 points on the court... The high-paying group was collectively silent, and was 27 points behind in the first half, and the season was concluded early.

Celtics collapse: Tatum's serious injury is the fuse, and the lineup problem is the root

Celtics lost. On the surface, it was a "fatal injury" of Tatum's Achilles tendon ruptured, but the root was buried at the beginning of the season.

1. Tatum is seriously injured: the dynasty pillar collapsed

G4 Tatum's Achilles tendon ruptured, directly sentenced the Celtics to death. A major Achilles tendon injury will take at least 10 months of rest (6-12 months will be required to restore the competitive state). Referring to Durant's example, it is highly likely to "stop and stop" after returning. Without Tatum, Brown could not bear the core - G6 He made 20 points, 7 mistakes, 6 fouls, offensive hesitation, and error explosions, completely exposing the essence of the "pseudo super giant".

2. Lineup deformity: Double Tanhua + High-paying Group "Collectively Stirring"

The Celtics' salary structure has long collapsed - Brown 53.14 million + Tatum 54.13 million, Boss 30.73 million (playoffs become an outsider), Holiday 32.4 million (18 shots scored 4 points), White 28.1 million (4 years, 126 million contract, lost 45 points on the court)...

The high-paying group is as glorious as the beginning of the season, the playoffs are: Holiday cannot defend Brunson and was named by Bridges and Anunobi; After Boss was infected with the virus, "no confrontation or injury"; White became an "undercover". What's even more outrageous is the three-pointer - G6 made 4 of 20 in the first half (Brown 3, 1 of the Pope, and 0 others), and the offense is "silent".

3. Single tactics: Magic ball dependence, no alternative

Celtics have been "obsessed with three-pointers" all season - they won 29 three-pointers in the opening game, and the three-pointers lost in the first three-pointers were reversed by the Knicks. They relied on three-pointers to sustain their lives. G6 fell into three-pointers again. They have no alternative, and they won't make a three-pointer if they hit the basket and pass it, but Bridges intercepted it to the G2. Brown broke the double team and didn't move, held the ball without killing, and all the players "rely overly relied on the magic ball."

Knicks counterattack: waiting for one championship in 25 years, the resilience of the Five Donkeys "Killing crazy"

The Knicks can win, not luck, but the resilience of the "Five Donkeys" grindled all season.

1. Thibodeau's "devil training": From a 23-point defeat in the opening game to the Eastern Conference Final at the beginning of the season, the Knicks were killed by the Celtics with 23 points, and fans shouted "the championship suspense ended"; but Thibodeau did not panic - he practiced resilience, defense, and "returned in desperate situations". The first two games of the playoffs were reversed by 20 points, defeated the Celtics' psychological defense in the fourth game, and the G6 was beaten with 38 points - The Knicks Five Donkeys had long been used to the "Devil Schedule".

2. Mitchell Robinson's "frame protection weapon": The Celtics' unsolved "tactical killer move"

Mitchell Robinson's rebounds and frame protection are the "nightmare" of the Celtics - G6 He is in the interior, and the Celtics can only "cut Miro". Thibodeau used "strange moves" to completely disrupt the rhythm of the Celtics and made the Celtics "have strength but no place to use it."

3. Brunson's "Father-son Legend": 25 years later, he fulfilled his dream of the Eastern Conference Finals for his father

In the 1999-00 season, Brunson's father Rick Brunson was a substitute on the Knicks' edge, and the Eastern Conference Finals' opponent was the Pacers; 25 years later, Brunson Jr. returned to the Eastern Conference Finals with the Knicks, and his opponent was the Pacers. The "East Final Inheritance" of this father and son is the most romantic footnote in New York - thanks to Harrison for letting Brunson go, otherwise how could there be today's "Brunson moment"?

Celtics rebuild: Tatum is seriously injured + 500 million salary, the dynasty is completely broken up, after the Celtics were eliminated, the offseason is destined to be "turning upside down":

Salary explosion: Brown + Tatum 107 million, Possess 30.73 million (I would like to send it away without paying money), Holiday 32.4 million, total salary 231 million (super the second rich line 207.8 million), luxury tax 263 million - spending more than 500 million to fill the 15-man roster, the most important thing is that it is not competitive yet.

Lineup reconstruction: Tatum is injured, Brown is "incompetent in leading the team", the Celtics must dismantle the team - send off Boss and Holiday away, and make up for the blue-collar collar + 3D wings in the inside. It may even be "destroying the double-Tanhua", keeping Tatum, and exchanging Brown for top stars.

The new king in the east rises, and the "new and old" of basketball never stops

The Knicks return to the Eastern Conference Finals 25 years later, and the Celtics' Double Tanhua era ends - This is the cruelest and most charming place in basketball: the champion will grow old, and the new king will come; failure is the trough, and it is also the starting point of reconstruction.

In the future, "new forces" such as the Knicks, Pacers, Timberwolves, and Thunder will stir up the situation. Time pushes people forward, some writes legends, and some moves to the end - but every step is the most vivid story of basketball.