NEW YORK -- A 38-point defeat in an elimination game has a way of hurrying the stages of loss. The Boston Celtics were at acceptance by the time they left Madison Square Garden on Friday night.
A 119-82 drubbing at the hands of the New York Knicks ended the teams' Eastern Conference semifinal series in six games and the Celtics' time as NBA champions with a finality.
"Finishing in May feels weird, it's definitely not something we were prepared for," said Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who fouled out before the end of the third quarter after scoring 20 points but with seven turnovers.