On Friday night, the New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics by a score of 119-81 to win Game 6 of their second-round playoff series.

The Knicks are now headed to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.

Via SNY's Knicks Videos: "FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2000, THE KNICKS ARE GOING TO THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS!"

Before the 2024-25 season began, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal made a bold statement about the Knicks (via The Big Podcast).

O'Neal: "New York is a place that's built on hype. That controls the hype. They can hype everybody else up... They're nowhere close to winning a championship. They're gonna win some games and do this, but I'm more impressed with, at the end of your career, how many championships you won."

While the Knicks still have a ways to go, they are just eight wins away from the NBA Championship.

In fairness to O'Neal, he made the bold claim about New York (before they traded for Karl-Anthony Towns).

That said, in January, O'Neal said he still did not think the Knicks had enough to win a title.

O'Neal (via the NBA on TNT in January): "A lot of people think I don't like the Knicks. Not the truth. The truth is I don't get hype over just winning games. I get hype over winning championships. You asked the question do I think they can win a championship? The answer is no... I don't think they have enough."

The Knicks will host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.

While it remains to be seen if New York can win a title, there is no question that they are close.