NBA playoff takeaways: Knicks' Game 6 knockout gives New York conference finals berth

The second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs is here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western Conference semifinals.

The No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers kicked off the East semis by taking a 2-0 lead over the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers and never looked back, completing the series Tuesday night to become the first team to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

Without Jayson Tatum, the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics held off the No. 3 seed New York Knicks in Game 5 on Wednesday night. But it wasn't enough as the Knicks, in their largest playoff win in franchise history, eliminated the Celtics in Game 6 in Madison Square Garden to move on to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000.

In the West, the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets forced a Game 7 against the No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma City Thunder with a win at home Thursday night.

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Golden State Warriors in Game 5 on Wednesday night to move on to the Western Conference finals. The Wolves await the winner of the Thunder-Nuggets series.

As teams continue to chase the Larry O'Brien Trophy, here's what matters most in both conferences and what to watch for in all four series.

Jump to a series:
Cavaliers-Pacers | Knicks-Celtics
Thunder-Nuggets | Warriors-Timberwolves

More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

Eastern Conference

(3) New York Knicks defeat (2) Boston Celtics 4-2

Game 6: Knicks 119, Celtics 81

What we learned: That the Knicks, who would have faced a Game 7 on the road with a loss, weren't going to leave things to chance any longer. The short-handed Celtics landed a solid jab in Game 5 without superstar Jayson Tatum to stave off elimination. Still, New York threw a devastating knockout punch in the second quarter Friday, outscoring Boston 38-17 to take a massive 27-point advantage into the second half. The Knicks kept saying throughout the series that they hadn't played their best basketball, even after a trio of double-digit comeback victories. But the second period -- a mix of physicality, desperation and incredible shotmaking -- was close to that level. And it was enough to extinguish what was left of the defending champs.

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Knicks fans sing out Celtics, MSG legends celebrate series win

Knicks fans serenade the Celtics with a goodbye song before players and MSG celebrities celebrate making the Eastern Conference finals.

What to watch for in the Eastern Conference finals: So many things will be worth watching in this postseason rematch between longtime rivals. It will be challenging to draw anything conclusive from the regular-season series since the teams didn't play each other after the All-Star break, and because center Mitchell Robinson -- perhaps the most important X factor in the Knicks' second-round win over Boston -- missed their previous matchups. How does the fast-paced Pacers' attack perform against the Knicks' methodical one? More than anything, after each team had incredible comebacks in the first two rounds, which club plays better in clutch time? -- Chris Herring

(4) Indiana Pacers defeat (1) Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1

Game 5: Pacers 114, Cavaliers 105

What we learned: The Pacers got brilliant performances from their stars while the Cavs watched their best players struggle, and it made the difference during this Eastern Conference semifinal series. Tyrese Haliburton was phenomenal, scoring 28 points while racking up eight assists, and he also got help from Pascal Siakam's 21 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Meanwhile, the Cavs got up-and-down performances from their core four. Donovan Mitchell gutted out 35 points despite a bad left ankle, but he shot 8-of-24 from the field. Jarrett Allen scored nine points, Evan Mobley finished with 24 but scored only four points in the fourth quarter, and Darius Garland shot 4-of-16 and finished with 11 points, putting a stamp on a disappointing finish for Cleveland. The Cavs won 64 games during the regular season, but they became the fourth 60-win team in NBA history to lose a best-of-seven series in five games or fewer prior to the conference finals.

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Tyrese Haliburton drops 31 to close series for Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton goes off for 31 points to help the Pacers overcome a 19-point deficit and close out the series vs. the Cavaliers.

What to watch for in the Eastern Conference finals: The Pacers are headed to the conference finals for the second straight season and coming in with experience, confidence and swagger after upsetting the top-seeded Cavs. Now, the Pacers wait for their opponent, with two potential playoff rematches from last season on the horizon. Indiana defeated New York in seven games in last year's second round after winning Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. And the Pacers met the Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference finals, but they were swept en route to Boston's 2024 NBA championship. The Pacers continue to make come-from-behind victories a signature in this postseason as Indiana trailed by 19 in the first half of Game 5 but won its third game of the playoffs after trailing by 19 or more points, the first team in NBA history to do so, per ESPN Research. -- Jamal Collier

Western Conference

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder are tied with (4) Denver Nuggets 3-3

Game 6: Nuggets 119, Thunder 107

What we learned: The Denver Nuggets do not go down without a heck of a fight, whether or not Jamal Murray is under the weather. The Nuggets are now 9-3 when facing elimination with Murray in the lineup. He shook off an illness that caused him to be listed as questionable in the hours leading up to Game 6, recording 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Nikola Jokic had the sort of dominant performance (29 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists) that is his standard. And Denver got key contributions from role players such as Christian Braun (23 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists) and Julian Strawther (15 points in 20 minutes) to send the series back to Oklahoma City for a deciding Game 7.

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Jokic pulls out some sorcery on this pass to Braun

Nikola Jokic sends a no-look dime to Christian Braun near the basket for a Nuggets layup.

Game 7: Nuggets at Thunder (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

What to watch: Can All-Star forward Jalen Williams snap out of a mini-funk with the Thunder's season on the line? Williams has had three straight subpar shooting performances, going 10-of-43 from the floor in that span. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has risen to the occasion since Oklahoma City fell to 2-1 in the series. He needs his sidekick to show up in Game 7.

Nuggets power forward Aaron Gordon grabbed at his hamstring before exiting late in the fourth quarter. If he's unavailable or hindered, that will be a major blow to Denver. -- Tim MacMahon

(6) Minnesota Timberwolves defeat (7) Golden State Warriors 4-1

Game 5: Timberwolves 121, Warriors 110

What we learned: With Stephen Curry watching from the bench, hoping that he might get a chance to return for a potential Game 6, the Warriors looked like a shell of the team that upset the Houston Rockets in the first round and stole Game 1 here in Minneapolis. They couldn't muster enough offense, were not a threat from the perimeter to allow Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga to work inside and had no answers for Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. While the Warriors went on an 18-6 run in the fourth to cut what was once a 25-point deficit to 99-90, they couldn't get enough stops or use the 3-point line to keep their season alive. Butler battled an illness in Game 4 and took only nine shots. In Game 5, he took 11 shots and finished with 17 points. Brandin Podziemski finally snapped out of a shooting funk and scored 28 points. And Kuminga finished with 26 points and 11-of-23 shooting. But none of it was enough without Curry. -- Ohm Youngmisuk

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Ant's full-court pass finds Randle for a bucket

Anthony Edwards passes to Julius Randle for a breakaway layup for the Wolves.

What to watch for in the Western Conference finals: Minnesota got this far a year ago, taking out a former champ in the Denver Nuggets and seemingly having all the momentum imaginable before being bounced from the West finals in five games. With more experience and a revamped roster -- Randle has been invaluable these playoffs and Donte DiVincenzo had his best game of the postseason in the Wolves' closeout Game 5 -- Minnesota will get the chance to show how much more it is equipped to earn its first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history this time around. The sixth-seeded Wolves will start on the road with either a rematch against the Nuggets or a showdown with the No. 1 overall seed in the Oklahoma City Thunder. And Edwards will put his talents up against Nikola Jokic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to show that the MVP vote isn't gospel when it comes to determining the best player in the league. -- Dave McMenamin