The New York Knicks have advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. They have won 11 straight games, including 10 in double figures. They await the winner of the Western Conference Finals.
The Knicks have been unstoppable this postseason. Following two early one-point losses to the Atlanta Hawks, they trailed 2-1 with Game Four in Atlanta.
Since then, New York has dominated, outscoring opponents by 225 points in 11 games—the most in NBA history.
In the playoffs as a whole, the Knicks are +271, meaning they’ve won their games by an average of 19.4 points per game. That is the best margin in NBA history as well and surpassed the 2017 Golden State Warriors, who were at +16.4 per game heading into the finals.
The most impressive part about New York is how it closes out games. The Knicks have won their close-out games by an average of 39.3 points per game. In the first round, they beat the Hawks in Game Four by 51 points and were ahead by as much as 61 points.
New York then pummeled the Philadelphia 76ers by 30 points to finish the sweep. This was a 76ers team that beat the Boston Celtics in seven games and gained a lot of respect from pundits. Finally, the Knicks made quick work of the Cleveland Cavaliers, leading to their second straight sweep, and won the closeout Game Four by 37 points.
It’s been a display of sustained excellence.
All year long, people believed that the victor of the Western Conference Finals would win the NBA Finals. Seeing how dominant the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have been all year, that is not a bad opinion. Each team won 60+ games and held the best and second-best records all year, respectively.
Now, that opinion must be challenged. Considering how the Knicks have played all postseason, it would be foolish to count them out. Not only that, they may even have an advantage.
Since New York dispatched the Cavaliers in an easy sweep, they have time to rest and heal up. Players like OG Anunoby, who returned from a right hamstring, would certainly appreciate the extra time off. The winner of Thunder-Spurs, however, will be coming off a potential seven-game war.
The injury bug has hit San Antonio and Oklahoma City big time this series. Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell have both missed time in the last few games for the Thunder. For the Spurs, De’Aaron Fox has looked gingerly in his return so far, and Dylan Harper has not looked the same since his hamstring injury in Game Two.
The Knicks have the war of attrition advantage over these two teams.
New York made a bold move last offseason, firing Tom Thibodeau. He brought the Knicks to the conference finals last year for the first time since 2025.
After losing 4-2 to the Indiana Pacers, the organization decided that moving on was the right move. Some people questioned it.
New York, however, stood on its ground and hired Mike Brown. They believed his years in Golden State, winning all those championships, would lead to even greater success than last year, and they were right.
Can the Knicks finish the job? It’s been 33 days since they’ve lost a game.
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