The defending NBA champion Celtics are eliminated by an imperious Knicks

The New York Knicks crushed the reigning NBA champions Boston Celtics, 119-81 on Friday, ending the Eastern Conference semifinals 4-2 on aggregate. 

The team led by Jalen Brunson (23 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (21) will play its first conference final since 2000 against the Indiana Pacers, who qualified after convincingly defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics were a complete blur without their star, injured Jayson Tatum, and were humbled by as many as 41-point deficits.

Jaylen Brown, Boston's other star, was the only one who stood up with 20 points. However, with the game already in the home side's favor, he retired to the bench for an early personal foul ejection at the end of the third quarter.

The Knicks delivered a magical night for their fans at Madison Square Garden, ending a quarter-century-long desert journey back to the conference finals, the third-longest drought among NBA teams.

A collection of celebrities celebrated the win from the front row, including singers Lenny Kravitz and Bad Bunny and actors Timothée Chalamet and Ben Stiller.

With the exits of Boston and Cleveland, the East's top two seeds succumbed.

The West could also have two unexpected finalists. The sixth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves are already qualified and await the seventh and final game on Sunday between the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder and the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets.