The Indiana Pacers await the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals after the Boston Celtics were eliminated in the second round.

Paul Pierce recently commented on the New York Knicks' victory over the Boston Celtics, suggesting that their win was largely due to Boston's injury struggles, particularly the absence of Jayson Tatum.

Paul Pierce is standing by his former team after they failed to get past the second round of the 2025 Eastern Conference playoffs. After the Boston Celtics lost to the New York Knicks 119-81 on Friday night—a defeat that officially eliminated them from the postseason and stopped their NBA title defense in its tracks—Pierce took to a livestream and pushed back on some Knicks fans who were talking smack.