Knicks use furious rally to stun Celtics in Game 1 overtime thriller

BOSTON — Nobody gave the Knicks a shot in this Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Certainly, no one thought they would steal Game 1 when they trailed by 20 points in the third quarter.

The odds were long, but so far in this postseason, the Knicks are at their best in those circumstances, rallying from behind three times against the Pistons in the fourth quarter of their first-round series victory.

Monday night was their latest magic act, and their best one yet. A hard-to-believe 108-105 upset of the defending champion Celtics in overtime.

When Mikal Bridges ripped the ball away from Jaylen Brown in the final seconds of the extra session, TD Garden went quiet and stayed that way until a few “Let’s go Knicks” chants broke out.

“I was telling Cam Payne over there, that I was just watching his eyes,” said Bridges, who turned in a fantastic floor game with eight points, seven assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. “I’m a football guy. I’m just watching his eyes and following where the ball is at, and trying to get my hands up as soon as I see the ball. Because we’re up by three, so we’re trying to foul.”

5 OG Anunoby of the Knicks goes up for a shot during the second quarter of their Game 1 win on May 5, 2025.

Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

5 Knicks forward Mikal Bridges #25, celebrates with guard Jalen Brunson and the rest of the team after Bridges stole the inbounds pass in overtime as the Knicks beat the Celtics in Game 1.

Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

It was fitting that Bridges made the game-clinching play. The Knicks had the Celtics in mind when they traded five first-round picks for Bridges and paired him with OG Anunoby. They needed wings to match up with Brown and Jayson Tatum. The duo handled the two All-Stars in the series opener, limiting them to 14-of-43 shooting.

Bridges’ steal and save led to an Anunoby dunk that started the scoring in overtime. Then Anunoby found Bridges for a 3-pointer that pushed the lead to six. Karl-Anthony Towns added a key tip-in and the Knicks held on to take away home-court advantage. So much for the significance of the Celtics’ regular-season sweep of the Knicks.

“This team is special,” Towns said. “Obviously [they’re] the defending champions and they’re gonna come back hungrier and we need to play the next game at a higher level.”

5 Mikal Bridges of the Knicks strips Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics of the ball with seconds left and throws the ball down court, ending the game.. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks back from the big deficit, scoring 20 of his 29 points after halftime. His 11 consecutive points gave them a six-point lead with 3:28 left in regulation. They had a chance to avoid overtime, but Brunson’s floater in the lane went in and out off the glass. He stood under the basket for a few extra seconds after the Celtics called timeout, frustrated at the rare miss in crunch time.

“So not clutch enough,” he said.

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His teammates had his back. Anunoby scored 29 points and Towns and Josh Hart added double-doubles. Miles McBride snapped out of his postseason funk with 11 points off the bench. The Celtics, meanwhile, set an NBA playoff record with 45 missed 3-pointers by going 15-of-60 from downtown and 3-of-18 in the fourth quarter and overtime. Brown and Tatum each had 23 points in defeat for the Celtics, who had their nine-game home playoff win streak snapped.

It was a remarkable turnaround. The Celtics seemed to be in complete control, toying with the Knicks. The lead was 20 with 5:47 left in the third quarter and TD Garden felt like a party. Boston had entered the series expected to cruise past the Knicks, a 9.5-point Game 1 favorite.

5 Jalen Brunson of the Knicks goes up for a shot as Luke Kornet of the Boston Celtics defends during the second quarter of Game 1 on May 5, 2025.

Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

Then, the game turned.

Hart hit a 3. Anunoby knocked down a pair of them. When Brunson hit his first 3-pointer of the night, it was only an eight-point deficit, and the Celtics lead was nine entering the final period. The Knicks kept on coming, kept on believing, kept on telling each other the game wasn’t over.

“We’re just going to keep fighting, that’s who we are,” Bridges said. “We’re not going to [give up] until the clock hits zero, and we’ve been showing it.”

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5 Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics puts up a shot as Precious Achiuwa of the Knicks defends during the second quarter of Game 1 on May 5, 2025. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

By the end of the night, they would be talking about refocusing for Game 2, trying to leave Boston up 2-0. Despite all the negativity from the outside about their chances, the Knicks believed they could win this series. They showed it Monday night.

“The important thing for us is to understand what it is,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “It’s one win and then [we have to] understand that we have to reset and get ready for Game 2.”

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