The New York Knicks put on a historic performance this Monday by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93, completing a 4-0 sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals and securing their return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Driven by Karl-Anthony Towns’ 19 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby’s 17 points, and a solid collective performance, the Knicks dominated from start to finish against a Cavaliers team that never found answers. Off the bench, Landry Shamet contributed 16 units, while Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson added 15 points each.
The New York franchise thus chained its eleventh consecutive victory in these playoffs, becoming just the fourth team to achieve such a postseason streak since the NBA-ABA merger. The last to do so had been the championship-winning Golden State Warriors in 2017.
An unstoppable machine heading to the finals
New York’s superiority during these playoffs has been overwhelming. With only one exception, all of their victories have come by double digits, featuring an average margin of 23.7 points per game.
With a 35-point lead and less than eight minutes left to play, head coach Mike Brown pulled his starters while thousands of fans who traveled to Cleveland flooded the arena with chants of “Knicks in four!”.
“We played a great game. In a Conference Finals, scoring 65 points between second chances and fast breaks is something extraordinary. We wanted to set the tempo right from the start,” Brown highlighted after the matchup.
Now the Knicks await an opponent in the Finals, where they will face the winner of the series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, which is currently tied 2-2.
Jalen Brunson, Series MVP
Although the victory was a collective effort, Jalen Brunson was named the Eastern Conference Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists during the series.
The point guard was once again the offensive engine of a team that has won its three elimination games in these playoffs by at least 30 points. Before sweeping Cleveland, the Knicks crushed the Atlanta Hawks by 51 points in the first round and the Philadelphia 76ers by 30 in the conference semifinals.
Cleveland found no answers
For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell was the only one who maintained his expected level, finishing with 31 points, though his effort proved insufficient against New York’s offensive storm.
“They are playing spectacular basketball. You have to give them credit. They are going through an incredible moment,” acknowledged Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson.
The Cavaliers started the game better and even led 17-14 in the first quarter thanks to an Evan Mobley dunk, but everything changed from there. The Knicks responded with a devastating 20-0 run, opening up a lead that reached 29 points before halftime, and they never looked back.
New York went into the intermission with a 68-49 advantage, with Towns already recording a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. By the fourth quarter, the deficit reached 45 points, reflecting a total exhibition by the New Yorkers.
The Knicks dream of the title once more
This will mark the Knicks‘ third Finals appearance since their last championship in 1973. They lost to the Houston Rockets in 1994 and to the San Antonio Spurs in 1999, but now they will look to snap a drought of more than five decades.
The qualification also featured an emotional component, with legends Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Patrick Ewing presenting the Eastern Conference championship trophy on the court.
With Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and a group playing its best basketball of the season, the New York Knicks are four wins away from capturing the 2026 NBA championship and ending a wait that has lasted over 50 years.
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