Joe Mazzulla Says Knicks 'Got The Best Of' Celtics After Elimination from NBA Playoffs

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla praised the New York Knicks following the team's six-game defeat in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

“Ran into a great team in the second round, and they got the best of us," Mazzulla said on Friday night, via Daniel Donabedian of Clutch Points.

The Knicks officially eliminated the Celtics from the playoffs and ended their championship defense with a lopsided 119-81 victory in Game 6.

New York was dominant throughout Friday's contest, taking a 27-point advantage at halftime and leading by as many as 41 points in the second half. The Knicks were a force on the glass, pulling down 55 rebounds compared to just 36 for Boston.

The Celtics fell in an early 2-0 series hole by blowing 20-point leads in each of the first two contests at home, losing due to last-second defensive plays made by Knicks forward Mikal Bridges.

Boston earned a Game 3 victory to stay alive, but superstar Jayson Tatum suffered a ruptured Achilles late in Game 4 as the team trailed by nine points with roughly three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics bounced back at home to cut the series deficit to 3-2, but couldn't keep the momentum going on the road.

Even without Tatum, it was a surprisingly early playoff exit for Boston. The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in each of the previous three years, which included their 2024 championship victory.

Boston also won all four of its matchups with New York during the 2024-25 regular season.

The Celtics are reportedly expected to make major changes to their rotation in the offseason as they look to retool their roster and wait for Tatum to recover.

After the Knicks punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, Mazzulla was complimentary of them.