Basketball in New York is just different when the stakes are this high. If you were anywhere near 7th Avenue on Monday, May 12, 2025, you felt the vibration coming from inside the World’s Most Famous Arena. It wasn't just noise. It was a 25-year-old weight being lifted off the city's chest.
Knicks Celtics Game 4 was supposed to be the moment Boston asserted their championship pedigree. Instead, it became the night the New York Knicks proved they weren't just a "feel-good story" anymore. They are a problem.
A tale of two halves
The first half felt like a funeral for Knicks fans. Boston came out clinical. Derrick White was playing like a man possessed, knocking down four triples in the first quarter alone. Honestly, it looked like the Celtics were going to cruise to an easy 2-2 series tie. They led 62-51 at the break, and the Garden was... quiet. Uncomfortably quiet.
Then Jalen Brunson happened.
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There is no other way to put it. Brunson decided he wasn't losing. He dropped 18 points in the third quarter alone, basically willing the team back into the game through sheer force of mid-range jumpers and high-arc floaters. Tom Thibodeau, in classic Thibs fashion, barely looked at his bench. He played his starters for the entire third quarter. It was a desperate, gritty move that worked. By the time the fourth quarter started, New York had the lead and the momentum.
The Jayson Tatum injury that shifted the NBA
We have to talk about the 2:58 mark in the fourth quarter. It’s the moment that silenced the building for all the wrong reasons. Jayson Tatum, who was having an absolute masterclass with 42 points, went down.
It was a non-contact play. Tatum was lunging for a loose ball after a Boston turnover, and his right leg just gave out. He stayed down, writhing in pain, before being helped off without being able to put any weight on that leg. Later reports confirmed the worst: a ruptured Achilles. It was a devastating blow for the defending champs and a reminder of how cruel the postseason can be.
Brunson vs Tatum: By the numbers
Even before the injury, this was an all-timer duel.
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- Jalen Brunson: 39 points, 12 assists, and a masterclass in 4th-quarter execution.
- Jayson Tatum: 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals on 16-of-28 shooting.
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 23 points and 11 rebounds, providing the interior muscle the Knicks desperately needed.
- Derrick White: 23 points, mostly from his hot start behind the arc.
Why Game 4 felt like a coronation
The Knicks didn't just win; they closed on an 11-0 run after the game was tied at 102. OG Anunoby hit a corner three that felt like it blew the roof off the place. Mikal Bridges was everywhere on defense, finishing with 14 points and some of the most impactful deflections you’ll ever see in a playoff box score.
The 121-113 victory put the Knicks up 3-1. In the history of the NBA, coming back from 3-1 is rare—only 13 teams had done it before that night. Without Tatum, the mountain for Boston became a vertical wall.
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What most fans missed
While everyone focuses on the stars, the Knicks' bench—or lack thereof—was the real story. Miles "Deuce" McBride played 22 minutes and hit huge shots to keep the second unit afloat. On the flip side, the Celtics' bench went cold exactly when they needed to bridge the gap. Al Horford and Jrue Holiday struggled to find their offensive rhythm, combining for only 9 points. You simply can't win at the Garden in May with your veteran leaders shooting that poorly.
Actionable insights for the next matchup
If you're following this rivalry into the 2026 season, keep these factors in mind:
- Watch the Minute Loads: Thibs is still riding his starters. In Game 4, Bridges and Anunoby both cleared 40 minutes. Look for fatigue late in the regular season.
- The Tatum Recovery: With Tatum working his way back from that Achilles rupture, the Celtics have leaned heavily on Jaylen Brown, who is currently averaging a career-high 29.5 points in the 2025-26 season.
- The Interior Battle: Karl-Anthony Towns has changed the Knicks' geometry. His ability to pull Kristaps Porziņģis away from the rim is the "secret sauce" that opened up the paint for Brunson’s heroics.
New York eventually closed that series in six games, ending a 25-year drought for a Conference Finals appearance. But the legend of Knicks Celtics Game 4 will always be about the grit of Jalen Brunson and the heartbreak of a superstar going down. It was the night the hierarchy of the Eastern Conference officially shifted.