The New York Knicks have reached the NBA finals for the first time since 1999 after completing a 4-0 sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals with a dominant 130-93 victory on Monday night.
The Knicks, chasing their first NBA championship since 1973, have been in ruthless form throughout the postseason. They swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and overcame the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in the first round. Their current 11-game winning streak is the third longest in a single postseason in NBA history. During that run, the Knicks have outscored opponents by a combined 262 points — the largest point differential in an 11-game span in NBA history, regular season or postseason — and have won all but one game by double-digit margins, with an average victory margin of 23.7 points.
Brunson’s Leadership and MVP Performance
The driving force behind New York’s resurgence has been guard Jalen Brunson, who was awarded the Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference finals MVP after averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists across the series. His leadership has been described as “vital” by teammate Josh Hart. “He’s an even keel, he doesn’t let us get too high or too low,” Hart said. “Even games like this when we’re up 15 or 20, he wants to make sure we’re doubling down on our habits.”
Brunson’s connection to the Knicks’ last finals appearance is deeply personal: his father, Rick Brunson, played for the team during that 1999 run and has been an assistant coach for the Knicks since June 2022. After Monday’s game, the younger Brunson paid tribute to his teammates, coach and the fanbase. “It means a lot [to get to the finals], but I wouldn’t be here without my teammates,” he said on the ESPN broadcast. “My coach, this staff, the fanbase, without them none of this is possible.”
The Knicks have reached the NBA finals eight times in franchise history, winning the championship in 1970 and 1973. Their drought since that last title is among the longest in the league. Their previous finals appearance in 1999 ended in a five-game defeat to the San Antonio Spurs.
Awaiting the Western Conference Champion
New York will face either the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs, led by 7ft 4in superstar Victor Wembanyama. The Western Conference finals series is tied at 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday night. Wembanyama scored 33 points to lead the Spurs to a 103-82 victory in Game 4 and has made NBA playoff history by averaging at least 30 points and 13 rebounds through the first four games of a conference finals series — a feat previously achieved only by Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Series Dominance and Controversy
Monday’s game effectively ended when the Knicks unleashed a 20-0 run at the end of the first quarter and into the second. Karl-Anthony Towns led New York with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell — who has averaged 29.2 points in 12 career playoff games against the Knicks — put up 31 points but could not prevent the sweep. Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged the Knicks’ form. “They’re playing better basketball. You got to give them credit. They’re on a heater,” he said. In an earlier remarks widely noted, Atkinson also said that “analytically” the Cavaliers had won two out of three games despite being down 3-0, adding that he believed in the process and expected scores.
The Knicks’ return to the finals has drawn the attention of high-profile fans. Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet travelled to Cleveland for Game 4. Lee is enjoying a remarkable run after his favourite football club, Arsenal, clinched their first Premier League title since 2004 last week. Knicks guard Landry Shamet summed up the fervour: “Knicks fans are a specific species of human that should be studied, they’re crazy. They fly out to Cleveland on a Monday, they’re everywhere. Everywhere you walk in [New York City] that’s what you hear, the buzz is unbelievable. You could try to explain what’s going on for Knicks fans in New York right now, but good luck.”
The NBA Finals are scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 6. The Knicks’ first home game will be on June 8, and courtside seats for that matchup have already been priced at $105,000 on resale sites. The Larry Bird Trophy for Eastern Conference finals MVP was first awarded in 2022; Jayson Tatum was the inaugural recipient. Brunson’s name now joins that list as the Knicks prepare for a finals opponent that could be either the Thunder or a Spurs franchise that defeated them 26 years ago.
