It took 25 years for the New York Knicks to make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The journey was a long and winding one—from the lows of Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry, to the hopeful days of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, to, at long last, the highs of this current era.

The Knicks beat the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics in six games in the East Semifinals, capping off their impressive upset with an overwhelming 119-81 win at Madison Square Garden. It was the largest postseason margin of victory (38 points) in the franchise’s 79-year history—and also their biggest win of the entire season.

Six different players scored at least 10 points for New York, led by Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, who scored 23 points apiece. The team’s two key offseason acquisitions, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, added 22 and 21 points, respectively.

Josh Hart contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists to record the first Knicks postseason triple-double since Clyde Frazier—now the team’s resident color commentator—achieved the feat back in 1972.

Miles McBride was the sixth New York player in double figures, adding 10 points off the bench.

The Knicks led by six points at the end of the first quarter, 26-20, before blowing the game open for good in the second period. They outscored Boston by 21 points in the second quarter, 38-17, to take a 64-37 lead into halftime. Their advantage ballooned to as many as 41 points in the third quarter before they settled for a 38-point win.

The energy inside Madison Square Garden was electric during the game and spilled out into the streets of New York afterward. This fanbase has remained loyal through decades of disappointment, and the energy from their pent-up frustration has fueled the Knicks throughout this playoff run. New York hadn’t reached the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, the NBA Finals since 1999, and hasn’t hoisted the NBA championship trophy since 1973.

The Knicks are now just eight wins away from an NBA title, with a familiar foe—the Indiana Pacers—awaiting them next. It was Indiana who knocked them out in a grueling seven-game second-round series last year, but this New York squad is vastly different from that one. Bridges and Towns have since joined the fold, and Brunson is far healthier than he was a year ago.

The growing rivalry–on and off the court–between Brunson and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, two of the best point guards in the NBA today, will only make this series more exciting.

The contrast in styles between the defensive-minded Knicks and the fast-paced Pacers makes this looming Eastern Conference Finals even more intriguing—and it will be fascinating to see who wins out.

Regardless of how this season ends for New York, though, they can already treat this campaign as a win. Qualifying for the team’s first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years is no small feat, and this core is young enough to remain in contention for years to come.

The NBA is truly a better place when the Knicks are a good team—and right now, they’re not just good—they’re knocking on greatness’s door.