The New Yorks Knicks made (their) history in the NBA. After 25 years, the team of English Nigerian forward OG Anunoby finally managed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals last Friday after a wide victory (119-81) against the Boston Celtics, 4-2 in the series. They will face up to the Indiana Pacers of Cameroonian forward Pascal Siakam to possibly reach the NBA Finals of this season 2024/2025.
Due to the injury of Boston All-Star player Jason Tatum, chances to pass this round were automatically bigger for the Knicks even after a defeat 102-127 in Game 5 at TD Garden. Last Friday night at Madison Square Garden, the teammates of OG Anunoby (23 points, best scorer with Jalen Brunson) did not leave the C’s a chance. They led in the early minutes of the game, and Boston was forced to follow and minimize the gap. Brunson, McBride, Robinson and Hart did the job, and Towns added his contribution. Anunoby brought 9 rebounds and 2 assists in 37 minutes.
In Manhattan, people went crazy after this win that was allowing the Big Apple franchise to keep on dreaming. As a reminder, the Knicks won the Larry O’Brien trophy only twice in their history, in 1970 and 1973, which means a long time ago. Many fans were not born when the Knicks became a winning franchise in the last century. That is probably why the crowd became so loud and insane in Manhattan after the game. The Empire State Building was even lit up with the colors of the Knicks for the occasion.
What is next? A confrontation against the Indiana Pacers starting next week. In the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves of former Knick Julius Randle are patiently waiting for their next contender. The Game 7 planned between OKC and Denver today is going to be something huge. These playoffs are truly mad!
Guillaume Mahot