The Garden was shaking, but not for the reason New York fans wanted. Going into Knicks Celtics Game 5 on May 14, 2025, the vibe in Boston felt like a funeral. Jayson Tatum was out. A ruptured Achilles—the kind of injury that makes a city hold its breath—had sidelined the Celtics’ engine just two days prior. New York was up 3-1. They had the reigning champs on the ropes. Honestly, most of us thought it was over.
But the Celtics didn't get the memo.
📖 Related: Iowa State Basketball Schedule: Why This Season’s Final Stretch Is Different
Instead of a New York coronation, we got a 127-102 blowout that proved why you never count out a team with championship DNA. It was a weird, frantic game where the stars you expected to shine got caught in the mud, and the "role players" played like Hall of Famers.
How Derrick White Took Over the Series
If you watched the first four games, Jalen Brunson was the story. He was doing Brunson things—tough finishes, drawing fouls, keeping the Knicks’ offense ticking like a Swiss watch. But in Game 5, Derrick White decided he was the best guard on the floor.
He didn't just play well; he went nuclear.
White finished with 34 points and hit seven triples. Every time the Knicks tried to mount a run, White was there. A corner three. A floater. A blocked shot on the other end. He played 40 minutes because Joe Mazzulla literally couldn't afford to take him off the floor.
It wasn't just the scoring, though. It was the way he scored. The Knicks’ defense, usually so disciplined under Tom Thibodeau, looked scrambled. They were so worried about Jaylen Brown (who had a monster 26-point, 12-assist night) that they kept losing White in the shuffle.
The Jalen Brunson Foul Trouble Nightmare
You can't talk about Knicks Celtics Game 5 without talking about the officiating—or rather, how the Knicks handled it. Jalen Brunson had a nightmare third quarter. He picked up five fouls in that period alone. Think about that for a second.
Five fouls. In one quarter.
Basically, that was the game. When your engine is sitting on the bench next to Thibs, the offense falls apart. The Knicks were tied 59-59 at halftime. They looked solid. Then the whistle started blowing, the Celtics started driving, and suddenly the lead was 15. Then 20.
By the time Brunson fouled out early in the fourth with 22 points, the Knicks were already toast.
Key Performance Breakdown
- Jaylen Brown (BOS): 26 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds. He stepped into the "Point Forward" role with Tatum out and looked incredibly comfortable.
- Josh Hart (NYK): 24 points, 7 rebounds. Hart was basically the only Knick who didn't look tired. He hit five threes, which is usually a win condition for New York, but the rest of the team shot 35% from the field.
- Luke Kornet (BOS): I'm not kidding—he was a +24. He had 10 points and 7 blocks. Seven! He looked like Dikembe Mutombo out there for a stretch.
- OG Anunoby (NYK): A rough one. 1-of-12 from the floor. He brought the defense, but the Knicks needed his scoring to offset the Tatum-sized hole in Boston’s lineup.
Why the Second Half Collapsed
The third quarter was a 32-17 disaster for New York. It wasn't just the fouls; it was the rebounding. Mitchell Robinson did his best, grabbing 13 boards, but the Celtics were playing with a desperation that the Knicks couldn't match.
🔗 Read more: The Rock with Shaq and Barkley: Why This Viral Trio Still Breaks the Internet
Boston was 17-for-26 from the free-throw line in the third quarter alone. They were aggressive. They knew if they lost this, their season was dead. The Knicks, perhaps feeling a little too comfortable with their 3-1 lead, let the foot off the gas.
Karl-Anthony Towns struggled with foul trouble too, which forced the Knicks into some small-ball lineups that Payton Pritchard and Jaylen Brown absolutely shredded.
What This Game Taught Us About the Rivalry
For years, the Celtics have been the "big brother" in this matchup. But the 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinals shifted the narrative. Even though the Knicks lost Game 5, they had already proven they belonged by taking a 3-1 lead.
What most people get wrong about this game is thinking it was a "return to form" for Boston. It wasn't. It was a desperate, one-off survival act. The Knicks would eventually go on to win the series in Game 6 back at the Garden (the Madison Square one), but Game 5 was a reminder that the Celtics’ depth is terrifying even without a First-Team All-NBA player.
Practical Lessons for the Next Matchup
If you’re looking at how the Knicks can avoid a repeat of this blowout in future high-stakes games, here’s what to watch:
- Manage the aggression: Brunson and KAT cannot both be in foul trouble by the start of the third. The Knicks’ bench is good, but it's not "overcome a 20-point deficit in TD Garden" good.
- Respect the shooters: You can't leave Derrick White open. Period.
- The Kornet Factor: Teams have to stop letting Luke Kornet dictate the energy in the paint. He’s a situational player, but when he gets 7 blocks, he changes the entire geometry of the Knicks' drive-and-kick game.
The Knicks eventually got the last laugh in 2025, but Game 5 remains a "what if" for Celtics fans. What if Tatum hadn't gone down? What if they had carried that Game 5 energy into the rest of the series? Sports are brutal like that.
💡 You might also like: African American Female Bodybuilders: Why The History Is Much Deeper Than You Think
Keep an eye on the defensive rotations in the next meeting. If the Knicks let the Celtics get into the bonus early again, it won't matter how many points Brunson scores. Defensive discipline is the only way to beat a team that shoots as many threes as Boston does.