The New York Knicks delivered a commanding performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning 130-93 and sweeping the Eastern Conference finals. This victory propels them to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Karl Anthony-Towns led the Knicks with 19 points and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby added 17 points. Key contributions also came from Landry Shamet, who scored 16 off the bench, and both Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson who each scored 15 points. The Knicks’ 11-game postseason winning streak marks them as the fourth team to achieve this, following the Golden State Warriors’ 15-game streak in 2017.
With a 35-point lead late in the game, the Knicks rested their starters. Their fans, more numerous than Cleveland’s, celebrated the anticipated victory. High-profile supporters like director Spike Lee, comedian Tracy Morgan, and actor Timothée Chalamet were present in the crowd.
In the upcoming finals, the Knicks will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs. As both teams are tied 2-2 in their Western Conference finals series, they will continue battling in Game 5 in Oklahoma City. Regardless of the opponent, the Knicks’ finals series will begin on June 3, with their opponent having home-court advantage based on regular season performance.
This will be their third NBA Finals appearance since their championship win in 1973. The team faced losses previously in the finals to Houston in 1994 and San Antonio in 1999. Mike Brown, coaching his first season with the Knicks after replacing Tom Thibodeau, leads the team to the finals. Brown’s previous finals coaching experience was with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007.
For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell stood out with 31 points. The Cavaliers were swept in a postseason series for the first time since their 2018 NBA Finals matchup against the Warriors. Mitchell’s scoring started strong, but New York quickly gained control. Evan Mobley briefly put Cleveland in the lead with a putback dunk before the Knicks scored nine consecutive points.
Near the first quarter’s end, after a floater by Mitchell made the score 30-26, the Knicks responded with a 20-0 run over five minutes. During this run, New York excelled by making eight of 14 field goals, including four 3-pointers. Shamet, a key contributor, scored two 3-pointers, enhancing his series of long-range accuracy.
Cleveland struggled, missing nine field goals and enduring four turnovers during their scoreless stretch. By halftime, the Knicks led by 68-49, repeating their postseason trend of building substantial early leads. Karl Anthony-Towns had a double-double by halftime with 10 points and 10 rebounds. New York’s lead stretched to 45 points in the fourth quarter, demonstrating their dominance.
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