New York Knicks fans are some of the more passionate ones in the NBA, and they’ve been fortunate to watch the Knicks enjoy their most successful playoff run in more than two decades in these playoffs.
The Knicks are playing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000, and they beat the defending champion Boston Celtics in the round prior to this one.
But Celtics legend Paul Pierce recently clowned Knicks fans for celebrating as hard as they did after knocking the Celtics out of the 2025 NBA Playoffs and called them “delusional.”
“You know they delusional, the most delusional fans on the — I mean, you beat the Boston Celtics, and it looked like there was a parade out there, dawg,” Pierce said. “They climbing up the streetlights. Come on, man.”
The Knicks were viewed as the clear underdogs heading into that best-of-seven series against the Celtics, yet they won the series in six games. New York arguably won the series with its play in Games 1 and 2 in Boston.
The Knicks faced 20-point deficits in each of those two games at TD Garden but still won both games after making seemingly every big play down the stretch. Boston dug itself a hole that it couldn’t climb out of by choking at home, as it trailed 0-2 in the series with Games 3 and 4 at Madison Square Garden.
The two teams then split the next four contests, which was enough for the Knicks to seal the deal in six games. Of course, a devastating Achilles injury to Celtics star Jayson Tatum did impact the series, but New York was in control before that happened.
For as big of an achievement it was for the Knicks to beat the Celtics in the second round of the playoffs and punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals, that high has probably worn off for most Knicks fans now.
After all, New York’s season is at stake, as it finds itself in a 2-3 hole against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks’ season could end as soon as Saturday with a loss in a pivotal Game 6.
Conversely, a victory in Game 6 for New York would put the team in a much better position to reach the NBA Finals, as Game 7 would be a home game for the Knicks. New York is the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Pacers are the No. 4 seed.
With any luck for Knicks fans, they will soon witness their team pull off the improbable and rally back to advance to the NBA Finals.
