The New York Knicks did something no fan thought was possible -- coming back from a 20-point deficit to beat the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was part of a historic moment in the NBA, with every road team in the second round winning Game 1 for the first time in league history.
Jalen Brunson's potential game-winning shot rimmed out, resulting in overtime. If Brunson made it, he would've joined Denver's Aaron Gordon with a game-winning shot in Game 1 of the semifinals.
Home-court advantage must not be as important as everyone thought. The Knicks have played better on the road, anyway. The win marked New York's fourth-straight away win in the postseason.
Knicks part of NBA history after beating Celtics on the road
New York had perhaps the most daunting challenge of any other road team entering the semifinals. The Knicks went 0-4 against the Celtics in the regular season, meaning the last time they beat them was before Boston won its 18th championship.
The Celtics are on a path to defend their title, and they certainly don't want their season to end at the hands of one of their most hated rivals. Boston set an NBA playoff record with 45 missed three-pointers. It's unlikely that the Celtics will shoot that poorly again, but that doesn't mean you can rule the Knicks out. After all, nobody would've guessed they'd come back from as large a deficit as they were in, not even one of the team's beat writers.
Celtics up 20. This one's over.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) May 6, 2025
New York wasn't exactly the team fans hoped it would be in the regular season, but what happened then doesn't matter now. Stacking wins in the playoffs is the goal, and the Knicks jumped out to an early advantage over the Celtics. It just so happened that they helped make history in the process.
Why not pick up another win in Game 2 at TD Garden on Wednesday? Indiana beat Cleveland on Tuesday in Game 2 to keep the streak alive. It seems like the tide has shifted in favor of road teams, but hopefully, it'll shift back to home teams when the Knicks return to MSG for Games 3 and 4 of the second-round series.