Yardbarker
x
 Magic Johnson Congratulates Knicks & Celebrates Celtics’ Elimination
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 20: NBA Legend, Magic Johnson poses for a portrait during the 22nd Annual NBA Legends Awards as part of 2022 NBA All Star Weekend on February 20, 2022 at Huntington Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Magic Johnson may no longer be involved with the Los Angeles Lakers on the basketball side, but he’s been keeping tabs on the 2025 NBA Playoffs that have delivered some of the best postseason games in recent memory.

This year’s playoffs have featured incredible comebacks and upsets, and now the Conference Finals matchups are set. In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves while in the Eastern Conference the New York Knicks will see the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks’ run has been arguably the most impressive as they managed to knock off the defending champions the Boston Celtics in six games. New York overcome large deficits in Games 1 and 2 to take a 2-0 series lead and eventually beat Boston back home at Madison Square Garden.

Johnson, who has no love lost for the Celtics organization, congratulated the Knicks on their series win and for advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, via his personal X account:

The Celtics-Lakers rivalry is the best and most-famous one in NBA history and Johnson clearly couldn’t help but take a subtle shot at the Boston organization following their loss. Boston’s title defense came to an end once poor outside shooting and inconsistent defense reared their heads. To make matters worse, Jayson Tatum suffered an Achilles tear that puts the team’s immediate future in doubt as well.

Johnson and the rest of the purple and gold fanbase can celebrate knowing the Celtics won’t win another championship this year, though now the Lakers have work to do to build a title roster around LeBron James and Luka Doncic. Los Angeles has the foundation to win a championship and it’ll be interesting to see if they can make a deep postseason run next year.

Suns’ Kevin Durant wins 2024-25 PBWA Magic Johnson Award

Magic Johnson was well-regarded during his playing days for personality and willingness to talk to the media. Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant also treats the media with respect and for his generosity he was named the 2024-25 PBWA Magic Johnson Award winner, getting a congratulatory message from the Lakers legend himself.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Lakers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!