As the New York Knicks await their second-round opponent, one thing is already clear: Jalen Brunson wants the team to hit the reset button.

Following Thursday night's dominant 140-89 series-clinching victory over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena, Brunson made it clear that while celebrating a playoff series win is important, it can't linger. "It's good to celebrate the wins, but we can't let it drag on," the Knicks guard said. "We have to focus up. Wake up tomorrow, and it's on to the next."

The Knicks won't know their next challenge until Saturday night, when the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers in a winner-take-all Game 7 at TD Garden. Fans had circled a potential second-round rematch between the second-seeded Celtics and third-seeded Knicks as a must-watch showdown—a matchup that would bring back memories of last postseason, when New York eliminated Boston in six games after Celtics star Jayson Tatum suffered a right Achilles tear in Game 4.

Tatum defied the odds by returning in less than 10 months, helping Boston jump to a 3-1 series lead over the seventh-seeded Sixers. But Philadelphia has stormed back with two straight elimination-game wins, including a 106-93 victory in Game 6 on Thursday night, to even the series at 3-3. Tatum experienced some discomfort in his left leg during that loss and sat out the fourth quarter, though he downplayed concerns afterward.

For now, the Knicks' focus is entirely on themselves—especially after a first-round series that started rocky. New York dropped two of its first three games against Atlanta before flipping a switch and overwhelming the Hawks with three consecutive blowout wins.

"During this series, we didn't play our best basketball," Karl-Anthony Towns said after recording his second triple-double of the series in Game 6, a historic rout where the Knicks led by as many as 61 points. "For us to make a statement about who we could be when we're clicking on all cylinders is important. It's great for us to have this kind of tape, so we can look back and see, when we're playing our best, what are we doing correctly? But it's about consistency in the playoffs. How many times can we do that?"

As the Knicks wait to find out whether they'll face Boston or Philadelphia, Brunson's message is simple: the past is the past. The next chapter starts now.