With every shot made, and with every defensive stop, and with every celebratory scream matched by the Madison Square Garden faithful, the New York Knicks relinquished a demon.
In the last quarter-century, they've had all sorts of evil spirits throughout their franchise.
Bad draft picks. Heartbreaking losses. Free agent misses. Silly trades. Underwhelming performances. Controversies, coaches, calamities.
The Knicks have always failed to live up to expectations, at least in the recent past. And that's what makes this team so staggeringly different.
No one expected the Knicks to make the Eastern Conference Finals. And yet on Friday night, there they were, triumphantly dispatching of the defending champion Boston Celtics to advance.
And given that the Pacers upset the top-seed Cavs on the other side, this is anyone's ballgame. The Knicks have a real path to the NBA Finals.
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To do it, the Knicks put together their most complete postseason performance in franchise history.
New York defeated the Celtics, 119-81. It's the largest playoff margin of victory in franchise history (38), with the previous mark being a 36-point victory over the Bucks in 1970.
They held back Boston's high-powered 3-point attack. They scored more than enough themselves.
Up and down the lineup, players made plays. Jalen Brunson made stepback 3s. Mikal Bridges made tough jumpers. Josh Hart attacked the hoop. KAT did it all. OG Anunoby blocked shots. Deuce McBride seized all the momentum for good with a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer.
Momentarily, the Celtics looked like they had life in this series. They responded to the Jayson Tatum torn Achilles with an inspired Game 5 to prolong proceedings.
But then the Knicks quickly stomped out any hopes of a comeback from 3-1 down. New York's Knickerbockers would not be denied.
Now what?
The Knicks are into their first conference finals appearance since 2000. That year, too, was against the Pacers. That Indiana team knocked New York out in six games.
This will be different, if only because these Knicks have maybe the most impressive starting five left in the playoffs. They haven't been here before, though, while the Pacers already made the conference finals last season, losing to the Celtics.
But these are two teams playing at their very best at the right time. The basketball should be fast-paced, and physical, and intense.
It'll be unusual for Knicks fans, who don't normally get to see their squad play this late into May.
But these Knicks are different, after all. In some ways, they're unprecedented. And they're trying to show that the New York Knicks can truly be the best team in basketball. At this rate, they're on their way.
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