NEW YORK — The Celtics just didn’t have it. The longer Game 6 went against the Knicks, it was evident this was the end of the road for the defending champions. The C’s were blown out 119-81 to lose the East semifinals to the Knicks 4-2, putting an end to their season.
Jayson Tatum’s Achilles injury was the shocker in Game 4. While the Celtics mustered up one more victory to force Game 6 in New York, they couldn’t string together stops or buckets Friday at Madison Square Garden. So, now they enter a crucial offseason from a roster perspective. Before then, Jaylen Brown had a pointed message for Celtics fans that this setback won’t define the team going forward.
“This journey is not the end; it’s not the end for me,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to coming back stronger, so you just take this with your chin up. I know Boston, it looks gloomy right now, obviously with JT being out and us kind of ending the year. But it’s a lot to look forward to. I want the city to feel excited about that. This is not the end, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.”
Brown admitted it felt weird for the season to end in May considering the numerous deep playoff runs he’s led and experienced in Boston. The C’s failed to make at least the East Finals for the first time since 2021. They also became the sixth straight reigning champion to fail to make it past the second round in the league’s era of parity.
The Celtics now face plenty of question marks this summer — and not just because of Tatum’s injury. Realistically, their talented and expensive roster will go through changes. That’s up to the front office to decide coming off an impressive two-year run with this core. The C’s got to the mountaintop last season, though the bitter taste of this year will take some time to digest.
“It almost feels worse,” Brown said of losing after the title. “We were trying to do something special, go back-to-back. We had a great group. We played well all year. So I think this probably stings even more. We just had some unfortunate events, some injuries. Personally, I had some stuff that I was persevering through and it just caught up to us in the end.”
Brown sounded mostly optimistic even after accepting the loss. The Celtics had their chances to down the Knicks this series, though blowing Games 1 and 2 on their home court set the tone early. Then, after Tatum’s injury, it was a tough blow for the organization as a whole to lose the face of the franchise.
But the Celtics will play basketball again next season. The roster will look different with new faces, though there will be a core that returns. That’s up to the front office. For now, the players will take in how this season ended as they use it as fuel going forward.
“Take time, sit back and kind of figure it out,” Brown said. “But I’m excited. Things didn’t go your way this year, things didn’t go our way this year, and it’s unfortunate. But we hold our head up regardless. Losing to the Knicks feels like death. But I was always taught that there’s life after death, so we’ll get ready for whatever’s next in the journey. I’ll be ready for it.”
