NEW YORK - The New York Knicks began leading NBA champion Boston Celtics with a 3-1 series in the Eastern Conference semifinals as the final buzzer rang out Monday night in Madison Square Garden, with Captain Jalen Brunson calming some of his celebrating teammates.

Yes, the Knicks' 121-113 victory in Game 4 put them away from their first final in 25 years. But the job is not completed yet, the star guard said, and he wants to play the looming fifth game in Boston on Wednesday night.

"I was actually telling everyone the end. I had nothing to celebrate at the time," Brunson said, who scored the best 39 points of the team in 25 assists.

Nevertheless, Brunson was willing to admit that the victory was "a big game for us" because it was after a loss after the third game, and he said New York seemed "subconsciously satisfied" with the original 2-0 series leader.

The Knicks never really reacted in Game 3 after finishing 20 points in Game 1 and 2, showing a bigger fight in Game 4. Yes, they were once again behind by double figures – the seventh game of eight games against the Celtics this season – Boston got up early from distance. However, the Knicks' defensive strength increased and quickly cut it into a 14-point third-quarter deficit.

With 18 points during this period, New York rushed into the fourth inning with an 88-85 advantage, thrilling the family crowd.

"The way we responded is what I am most proud of. Stay together. The most important thing is not to quit." Brunson said he was one of four Knicks who ended at least 20 points. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges have 23, and OG Anunoby has 20.

It wasn't a great start for the Knicks, defending the Celtics' initial offensive action, but somehow continued to keep Boston Wing Derrick White open on the perimeter. During the opening period, he made all four attempts from the depths, Jayson Tatum scored 42 points on 28 shots, and he drilled three times in that time. As a team, the Celtics scored 9 goals in the first quarter with 39 points.

"There was a lot of miscommunication," Bridges said. "At the end of the game, we did better, and they did a lot of tough shots. We could stand it. But early on, you can't let that happen (defense).

Eventually, by the fourth quarter, these mistakes had gone away.

New York's success in Tatum is limited. However, the Knicks forced the finals to dominate the Finals MVP Jaylen Brown (20 points) to make many offensive mistakes. It was in a drama where Brown committed a pass from Tatum, which was probably the most important moment in the series.

Brown curled above the three-point arc of the left wing as he groped through the pass. Tatum was ready to catch up with the loose ball, but his right leg seemed to give a throwaway, and he immediately fell onto the court and twisted the pain in pain as Anunoby recovered the ball and dunked it to lead the Knicks with a 9-point lead with a score of 3:03.

With Brunson and Bridges totaling 18 points during the dominant fourth quarter run, New York may have already scored the game before Tatum was injured. However, with Tatum getting help on the court and unable to apply any weight on his legs, the status of the series seems to have changed completely.

Nevertheless, Brunson - kicked off the post-match press conference by providing prayers for Tatum and suggested that the victory bring the Knicks closer to their ultimate goal. With New York needing another victory to end the series, he wants his team to stay focused instead of thinking it’s all done.

"I think (tonight) is a sense of urgency, despair. Knowing that we have a great opportunity to play against a really good team," Brunson said. "I don't even think we're playing the best basketball. We have a team that is still fairly new this year and we have a long way to go to be the best team we can be. There's always time to learn for us. We're never satisfied, and that's the mentality."