The New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 on Monday, May 25 to complete a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Karl-Anthony Towns led six Knicks in double figures with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and three assists. Landry Shamet added 16 points on four made threes, OG Anunoby scored 17, and Jalen Brunson ran a half-court offense that hit 56% from the field and 39% from three for the second straight game. Cleveland never led after the first quarter and trailed by 27 going into the fourth.
The +225 Run
Across the Knicks' last 10 playoff games — 10 straight wins — the team has outscored opponents by a cumulative 225 points. ESPN Stats and Information confirmed it as the largest 10-game point differential in NBA history, regular season or postseason. The previous record was the 2017 Warriors' +213 from their Finals run. The Knicks ran it up not on flashy nights from Brunson but on the defensive end: New York has the best defensive rating in the playoffs at 101.2 points allowed per 100 possessions, and held Cleveland under 95 points in three of the four games.
The 27-Year Drought
The Knicks' last NBA Finals trip was the 1999 lockout-shortened season, when an eighth-seeded New York team led by Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, and Patrick Ewing's injured shadow lost to the David Robinson and Tim Duncan Spurs in five. The franchise has since cycled through Isiah Thomas, the Phil Jackson era, the Carmelo years, and the 2020-21 reboot before landing here — a Tom Thibodeau-led, Leon Rose-built roster anchored by Brunson, KAT, Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. Game 3 in Cleveland already broke the city's belief; Game 4 closed the file.
What's Next
The Knicks now wait for the winner of the Western Conference Finals, currently tied 2-2 between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs after Victor Wembanyama dropped 33 in a Game 4 win Sunday night. Game 5 is in Oklahoma City on Tuesday, May 26. Whichever side comes out, the Knicks will have eight days of rest before Game 1 of the NBA Finals — the longest pre-Finals break a team has had since the bubble. The line on whether they win the title closed at +160 New York / -180 OKC and -110 New York / -110 San Antonio.
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