The New York Knicks are riding high in the second round against the Boston Celtics and are playing some of their best basketball of the season at the right time. Even if their spirits are tampered a bit after a 127-102 blowout loss in Game 5 in Boston, the Knicks still have a chance to close the series out at home in Game 6.

Game 5 was tight for most of the first half and into the third quarter before things went bad for New York. The Celtics started to make shot after shot from the outside while Jalen Brunson got into foul trouble for the Knicks.

Before you could blink, Brunson had fouled out of Game 5 with more than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. While that essentially ended the Knicks' chances of making any noise with another comeback in Boston, Brunson didn't seem to be too bothered. He gave a polite wave goodbye to the Celtics fans on the jumbotron after taking a seat for the night.

Brunson has no reason to be too up in arms after taking a 3-1 lead with a huge second half in Game 4. He also led the Knicks back from massive deficits in both Games 1 and 2, so the Knicks are still in prime position to advance.

New York will be feeling very good about its chances of closing things out back at Madison Square Garden in Game 6. New York is a very difficult place to play, and the Celtics' role players should have a much tougher time making shots than they did in Game 5. On the other hand, the supporting players for the Knicks should have an easier time scoring.

If Brunson can come up big in the clutch at MSG again, the Knicks will earn another shot at the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers knocked out a banged-up Knicks team in the playoffs last season, so Brunson and his squad will be amped up looking for revenge. However, they cannot look past a hungry Celtics team that is playing with nothing to lose after losing Jayson Tatum.