Celtics Clip Cavs; Knicks Next?

If the New York Knicks punch their Eastern Conference Final ticket, the Boston Celtics await.

May 15, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) returns up court / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

If the New York Knicks get by the Indiana Pacers, an old enemy awaits in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With a 113-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, the Boston Celtics are officially halfway done with their road to an 18th NBA championship. The five-game victory over Cleveland in their semifinal set moves them onto the conference final, where they await the Knicks or the Pacers. Led by Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White, the Celtics are back in the conference final for the third straight season and the sixth time in the past eight.

May 15, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) drives the ball / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Boston's victory also gave the Knicks' potential clincher a start time: the Knicks and Pacers will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN in a highly-anticipated tilt at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

A matchup between the Knicks and Celtics would be their fourth ECF meeting, tied for the most common get-together in the event's history. The teams met on three consecutive occasions between 1972 and 1974, with the Knicks winning two of three. New York and Boston have had 14 total prior meetings, evenly splitting them so far. The last showdown came in the opening round in 2013, a six-game Knicks victory.

The Knicks and Celtics faced off five times in the regular season, with an extra game formed as a de facto consolation match in the NBA In-Season Tournament. Boston won four of five, but the Knicks took the last by a 118-109 final at TD Garden on Apr. 11.

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