New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson trolled a reporter after the Game 1 win versus the Boston Celtics. Tom Thibodeau and company finally got their signature win, and what a way to get it. The Knicks were down by as much as 20 points in the third quarter, but slowly and surely worked their way back into the game. And then down the stretch, it was a vintage Cardiac Knick affair that eventually went to overtime. Thanks to several plays by the Clutch Player of the Year, Mikal Bridges, and others, New York pulled off a shocking 108-105 win in TD Garden.

Brunson had a little fun in the postgame with a reporter in an exchange that was posted on social media.

The Knicks proved a lot of doubters wrong on Monday night

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts with teammates after defeating the Boston Celtics in overtime during game one of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
David Butler II-Imagn Images
Article Continues Below

New York entered Game 1 as severe underdogs against the defending champs. And for most of the night, despite Boston's cold shooting, it looked like this series might be a mismatch. The Celtics did an excellent job guarding Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the strategy to match their center on Josh Hart was panning out in spades. But the Knicks didn't go away, and their belief continued to grow as the night went on. The shots started to fall, particularly from OG Anunoby, as Brunson and Bridges got into the paint and created for teammates while the defense, which has been criticized for most of this season, held up.

And then the Knicks got into their comfort zone of clutch-time basketball. New York was certainly exhausted down the stretch, but it executed better than the Celtics in the end. Now, Tom Thibodeau's team will need to ice up and prepare for an even more difficult Game 2. Boston is sure to shoot better from the field, but there are also many things New York needs to clean, particularly on offense. Josh Hart has to be aggressive and ready to shoot when the Celtics put a center on him.

In addition, Karl-Anthony Towns needs to back down any forward who's matched up with him consistently. Particularly Jayson Tatum, who started the game against KAT. Even if he's not scoring on the Celtics' best player all the time, Towns has to make Tatum work on defense so that he doesn't have as much lift on his jumpshot.

Overall, the Knicks have already done their job, winning on Boston's home floor. But this group cannot take any games for granted. New York has two days of rest after Wednesday's game. It's time to keep that intensity up and shock the world again.