Garden Party: Could it have been any worse?

Boston Globe

17-05-2025

No two ways about it: That was about as bad as it could have gone for the Celtics in Game 6, and the team that began this postseason as a presumptive repeat champion is now
In a win-or-go-home game, the Celtics chose to go home,
While we can't technically call it a wire-to-wire victory for New York — Boston led by 1 point for 30 seconds in the first quarter — the 38-point win was the largest playoff victory in Knicks franchise history (which is impressive for a team that has made the playoffs 46 times in its nearly 80-year history).
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The Celtics will now have to answer a host of questions in the offseason: How can they move on with Jayson Tatum potentially sidelined for the year? How will they tackle a ballooning payroll to avoid a luxury-tax penalty?
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And, perhaps most importantly: Is the championship window closed?
Let's get into it.
About last night
It's the end of the line for the Celtics
Only 13 teams in NBA history have come back from down 3-1 to win a playoff series, and the 2024-25 Celtics are not one of those teams.
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Jaylen Brown was the Celtics' only reliable source of offense (20 points on 8 of 20 shooting), and he fouled out with 3 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Celtics shot just 31 of 86 from the field and 12 of 41 from three, and the only other Celtics in double digits were Al Horford (10 points) and Payton Pritchard (11 points).
But after one of the Celtics' worst performances of the season, Brown had room for some optimism.
'Losing to the Knicks feels like death, but I was always taught that there's life after death,' he said.
While that may be the case, life next season could look a whole lot different for the Celtics. Only time will tell.
The Celtics better hope Jaylen Brown is right.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Oh right, other teams played last night too
No other NBA games, but it was a busy night in the hockey world. Here's what you may have missed.
🏒 The Maple Leafs kept their season alive with a 2-0 win over the Panthers in Game 6. Auston Matthews broke a scoreless tie in the third period, and Max Pacioretty tacked on an insurance goal to force a decisive Game 7 in Toronto on Sunday.
🏒 The Walter Cup final is set, and for the second straight year, the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds upset their top-ranked opponents to earn their spots. The Ottawa Charge beat Montreal, 2-1, to punch their ticket to the finals, where they'll face the defending champion Minnesota Frost. That series will begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Ottawa.
🗓️ Up next:
This section is suddenly obsolete. The Celtics will open the 2025-26 season in October.
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In the know
Gary Washburn on what's next for the Celtics
Is the championship window closed?
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Big changes are likely ahead for the Celtics. Here's what the Globe's
Emma: With a salary-cap crunch looming and Jayson Tatum's injury lingering over next season, what changes could be coming for the Celtics in the offseason?
Gary:
The Celtics will have to get under the second apron because staying there has so many long-term repercussions, including the freezing of draft picks, rising luxury taxes, and severe limits of what they can acquire and move in trades.
The first move could be to find a taker for the $30 million salary of Kristaps Porzingis, who spent much of this year injured and was felled with a mysterious illness that zapped his energy. There are few teams that can just take Porzingis's salary without sending salary back in return, but the Celtics will have to do something to reduce payroll.
Also, Al Horford is a free agent and so is Luke Kornet, and the Celtics will likely not be able to afford Kornet. Boston could also attempt to move Jrue Holiday and the remaining two years on his contract and might find more takers for that deal, but again, the Celtics will have to take salary back, so it will be a challenge to get under the second apron.
Emma: Is the championship window closed?
Gary:
It's not closed as long as you have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but with Tatum likely out for most if not all of next year, the window is cracked because the Celtics are hardly a championship team without him — as we saw in Game 6.
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President of basketball operations Brad Stevens has been preparing for this fate for the past few years, and the key is to retool this team, bring in some younger, cheaper talent, and adjust the roster around their two superstars. But 2027 may have to be the year the Celtics target to get back into championship contention because teams such as the Magic and Pistons are ready to take the Celtics' spot, and losing Tatum pulls them back into the middle of the pack.
With their salary cap restrictions, it's difficult to see the Celtics acquiring a capable player for next season to fill Tatum's role or keep the championship momentum going, so Celtics faithful are likely going to have to wait a year to get back into title contention.
For the group chat
History repeats
😜
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
The scale of the Celtics' loss to the Knicks in Game 6 was unprecedented, but in terms of the series outcome, history could have seen this one coming from a mile away.
With the loss, the Celtics became the sixth straight defending champion to get bounced during or before the second round the following season. Let's take a look back:
2024 champion:
Celtics.
2025 finish:
Lost to Knicks, 4-2, in second round
2023 champion:
Nuggets.
2024 finish:
Lost to Timberwolves, 4-3, in second round
2022 champion:
Warriors.
2023 finish:
Lost to Lakers, 4-2, in second round
2021 champion:
Bucks.
2022 finish:
Lost to Celtics, 4-3, in second round
2020 champion:
Lakers.
2021 finish:
Lost to Suns, 4-2, in first round
2019 champion:
Raptors.
2020 finish:
Lost to Celtics, 4-3, in second round
What's unusual here, though, is that most of the teams on this list did not return to defend their title with a near-identical roster. But the Celtics did this year.
In 2019, the Raptors lost their star, Kawhi Leonard. In 2020, six Lakers departed in free agency, and three were traded away. It was a similar situation for the Bucks in 2021, Warriors in 2022, and Nuggets in 2023 — the biggest stars stayed, but the roster underwent a shake-up.
That was not the case for these Celtics, who maintained nearly their entire roster heading into this year, yet their season came to an early end regardless.
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Go deeper
Three stories you shouldn't miss
Jalen Brunson gave the fans at Madison Square Garden plenty to celebrate.
Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
🥳 Party like it's 1999:
Game 6 was the most joy Knicks fans have experienced in 26 years, when the underdog Knicks beat the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
👋 Out with a whimper:
The hungrier team won Game 6, writes Gary Washburn. While the Knicks looked flawless, the Celtics were vulnerable, and it showed up in the box score.
💀 An early death:
Jaylen Brown said after the game 'losing to the Knicks feels like death,' and for this iteration of the Celtics, it sort of is.
Emma Healy can be reached at