Category: NBA

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA finals for the first time since 1999 after another overwhelming victory completed a 4-0 sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks are in ruthless form as they attempt to win their first NBA championship since 1973. They also swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference semi-finals and beat the Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs. While their path to the finals in their Eastern Conference has been smooth they will face a stiff test to claim the NBA title. They will face either the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, a team with very few flaws, or the San Antonio Spurs, led by 7ft 4in superstar Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs-Thunder series is tied at 2-2 with Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Related: Victor Wembanyama’s half-court buzzer beater showcased a master in complete control

For now though, the Knicks can rest up and look back on an excellent series against the Cavaliers after completing the sweep with a 130-93 win. Cleveland only seriously threatened the Knicks in the opening game of the East finals, when they held a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter, before Jalen Brunson inspired New York to a thrilling comeback win in overtime. The Knicks won the next three games by 16, 13 and 37 points and are on an 11-game winning streak, the third longest in a single postseason in NBA history.

Brunson, whose father Rick played for the Knicks the last time they reached the finals, has been the star of the series but paid tribute to the rest of the Knicks after Monday night’s game.

“It means a lot [to get to the finals], but I wouldn’t be here without my teammates,” Brunson said on the ESPN broadcast. “My coach, this staff, the fanbase, without them none of this is possible.”

Brunson was also awarded the Larry Bird Trophy as the Eastern Conference finals MVP after averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists across the series.

“[Brunson’s leadership] is vital for us,” said Josh Hart of his teammate. “He’s an even keel, he doesn’t let us get too high or too low. Even games like this when we’re up 15 or 20, he wants to make sure we’re doubling down on our habits.”

Monday’s game was all but over after the Knicks went on a 20-0 run at the end of the first quarter and early into the second. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for New York with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell put up 31 points but once again he could not lead his team to a serious challenge against the Knicks.

“They’re playing better basketball. You got to give them credit. They’re on a heater. I don’t want to detract from what we’ve done, but sometimes you’ve got to give the other team credit,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said.

The Knicks’ presence will bring plenty of attention to this year’s finals. On Monday, several of their high-profile fans, including Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet, made the journey to Cleveland to see them complete their victory. Lee is on an excellent run after his favorite soccer team, Arsenal, clinched their first Premier League title since 2004 last week.

“Knicks fans are a specific species of human that should be studied, they’re crazy,” said Knicks guard Landry Shamet. “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 Knicks’ first home game of the NBA finals will take place on 8 June, and courtside seats for that matchup are already priced at $105,000 on resale sites.

The New York Knicks are heading to the NBA Finals, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are headed home.

New York closed out the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday night, winning Game 4 by a final score of 130-93 to complete the four-game sweep of the Cavaliers.

And Charles Barkley pointed to a lack of “effort,” and how the team “quit” in the first half of Game 4 as a major reason why.

Facing elimination at home against the Knicks in Game 4, the Cavaliers were on the wrong end of a 20-0 run from the Knicks, as New York built a 68-49 halftime lead. And during the halftime show, Barkley “requested special time” to address what he saw in the first half:

After Barkley provided the definition of quit — which included a notation to “see also: Cavaliers in Game 4 vs. Knicks” — the show aired several clips from the first half of Knicks players beating Cleveland defenders back down the court for fast-break points.

“This is just effort here,” began Barkley as the montage of Knicks players rolling up fast-break points aired during the halftime break.

“Players ain’t gonna say they’re gonna quit, but you know what shows? Their actions,” continued Barkley.

By the time Game 4 drew to a close, New York had outrebounded Cleveland 60-33, and had scored 33 fast-break points, compared to just nine for Cleveland.

And those watching at home were treated to a vocabulary lesson, courtesy of Charles Barkley.

Jalen Brunson has been named the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals MVP. 

The captain did his part to lead the Knicks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. 

Brunson was absolutely spectacular throughout the series as New York wrapped up a dominant four-game sweep of the Cavaliers on the road on Monday night. 

He opened things with a 38-point showing in the Knicks' Game 1 overtime win. 

The All-Star point guard then followed that by becoming more of a playmaker in Game 2, finishing with just 19 points while dishing out 14 assists for his first double-double of the postseason. 

Brunson led all scorers with 30 points in Game 3, then needed just 15 as he sat the entire fourth quarter during the Knicks' blowout victory to close things out Monday night. 

He averaged 25.5 points, 7.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds during the four ECF games. 

The Knicks completed a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals after a 130-93 win on Monday night.

Here are the takeaways...

-- New York has been blowing teams out during this incredible playoff run its on right now and a lot of that has to do with getting out to early leads which happened again in Game 4. It took a minute as the Cavs, desperate to keep their season alive, came out aggressive, particularly Donovan Mitchell, but the Knicks eventually imposed their will and took advantage of Cleveland's lack of hustle while getting back on defense.

-- The two biggest scorers in the early part of the game were, no surprise, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but the first quarter was truly an all-out team affair with bench players Landry Shamet and Miles McBride also hitting some big shots to kill any momentum the Cavs were trying to create. 

Both players kept up their hot shooting in the second quarter where New York continued to extend its lead. Shamet, in particular, was in his bag and had the hot hand from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points on 5-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-4 from deep.

-- In the blink of an eye, thanks to a 12-0 run to kick off the second quarter, the Knicks had a 24-point lead on the Cavs and were simply the far superior team. They dominated Cleveland in nearly every aspect of the game, most notably rebounding and fast-break points.

-- Other than Mitchell, the Cavs had no answers to keep up with New York's fine-tuned offense and looked disjointed and at times uninterested on most of their possessions. For his part, Mitchell showed up and finished with 31 points, but his scoring mate James Harden had a terrible game and scored just 12 points on 2-for-8 from the floor (0-for-6 from deep). As a team, Cleveland shot a paltry 27.5 percent from three-point range.

-- As for the Knicks, they couldn't miss from downtown. Along with Shamet, Towns literally didn't miss a single three ball (3-for-3) with Brunson and McBride also chipping in from behind the line. As a team, New York shot 44 percent from deep and had 33 assists on the night. But it wasn't just the three-point shot that had New York rolling; everything was working.

The Knicks outrebounded the Cavs, 60-33, including 20-6 on the offensive glass. Towns finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and Mitchell Robinson had 10 in 18 minutes off the bench. They also had 15 steals on the night with contributions up and down the lineup in that department. 

-- New York's lead grew to as large as 45 points in the fourth quarter with Cleveland waiving the white flag. Both teams emptied their bench with still eight minutes to play, and even with their reserves on the court the Knicks didn't miss a step. 

Every single player who stepped onto the court for New York had a positive impact on the game with nobody finishing with a plus-minus rating below plus-2. 

Game MVP: Landry Shamet

Sham-wow's energy off the bench was the catalyst for the Knicks' annihilation of the Cavs, and he finished with a game-high plus-minus rating of plus-28.

Highlights

Mikal Bridges with the Knicks' first points pic.twitter.com/0Cej2nuuZV

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

OG DROPS THE HAMMER! pic.twitter.com/zyhrhszptM

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

KAT from long range pic.twitter.com/ycjC9isXAf

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

Mikal ➡️ Mitch! pic.twitter.com/lvv3FqAfeU

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

Volume up to hear "DEUUUUUUUUCE" in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/f7RjeyZbBh

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

SHAM-WOW.

LANDRY SHAMET PUTS THE KNICKS UP 20! pic.twitter.com/BEEFpgptb7

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

WHAT A SHOT BY MIKAL BRIDGES! pic.twitter.com/Rj5ZDIECW7

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026

What's next

The Knicks await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

CLEVELAND (AP) — New York Knicks sweep Cleveland Cavaliers in Eastern Conference finals, advance to 1st NBA Finals since 1999.

CLEVELAND — Next.

History was made. Redemption was secured.

Next comes the biggest stage in the sport. Next comes the chance to end the drought that matters most.

Next comes the chance for glory.

It felt like the Knicks couldn’t be bothered with this series any longer. The Cavaliers, too, in the opposite manner. And it produced another epic blowout, as the Knicks bludgeoned the Cavs 130-93 on Monday night at Rocket Arena to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

“I truly felt that this team was an NBA Finals team,” coach Mike Brown said. “I thought we had a true opportunity. Some jobs you take, you’re like, ‘OK, we can get better, we have a chance to make the playoffs.’ But this one, I felt we legitimately had a chance.”

Owner James Dolan’s Finals-or-bust mandate has now been fulfilled — in emphatic fashion. The Knicks stormed past the conference finals roadblock that they couldn’t get past last year.

The 21st century had never witnessed or experienced the absolute mania that surrounds a Knicks Finals run. Finally, at long last, it’s arrived.

And it’s provided every reason to believe the Knicks are not close to being finished. Every reason to believe that these surging Knicks can conquer either the Thunder or Spurs — who are tied 2-2 — and win their first championship since 1973.

This tour de force has so far ripped through Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland. There has been minimal resistance on the way. Since midway through the first round, this is now an incredible 11-game winning streak. Only one of those wins was by single digits. There are so many new records set with each passing game that it makes your head spin.

It’s back-to-back overpowering series sweeps. It’s three straight closeout games in which Knicks fans completely took over the opposing arena. It’s a full-circle moment for Brown, who reached the Finals against the team he made his last Finals appearance with — in 2007 — and that fired him twice. It’s the latest — and so far, most meaningful — feat of the Jalen Brunson era as he keeps rising higher and higher on the hierarchy of Knicks legends.

It’s a long-awaited breakthrough for Karl-Anthony Towns, who lost in the conference finals the past two years — with the Timberwolves and Knicks — before finally getting past that hurdle this year. It’s validation for president Leon Rose and all the moves he made, particularly his controversial trade for Mikal Bridges, who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career.

It is so, so many things.

“To be part of this team that revives the word ‘hope’ in this city, it’s something special,” Towns said. “It’s something really, really special. And it’s an honor.”

Brown has repeatedly talked about closeout games being the hardest. At this point, that almost feels like satire. They have won their three closeout games by a combined 118 points. They became the first team to ever win three series-clinchers by at least 20 points in one postseason.

They had broken the Cavs’ spirits by Monday, just like they did with the Hawks and 76ers by the end of those series. This game was much more dismissive than dramatic — the Knicks swatted away the Cavs like a gnat.

“We’ve been locked in on the moment,” Brunson said. “And I think we need to continue to do that.”

It would be inaccurate to say the Cavs let go of the rope Monday, because they never truly grabbed hold of it in the first place.

The Knicks used a 20-0 run to build their lead. By midway through the second quarter, that lead had ballooned to 29 points. It became a full Knicks party behind enemy lines. An Eastern Conference coronation in somebody else’s house.

The Cavs cut it to 16 by the start of the third quarter, but the Knicks got it back to 27 points by the start of the fourth quarter. Not even Kenny Atkinson’s analytics could save the Cavs. Brown was able to pull his starters and empty his bench for almost the whole fourth quarter.

The scoring was, once again, perfectly balanced. Towns led the way with 19 (and 14 rebounds), OG Anunoby had 17, Brunson and Bridges had 15 apiece and Josh Hart added six along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Landry Shamet drilled all four 3s he took and provided 16 points off the bench.

The Knicks had a 33-9 advantage in fast-break points, embarrassing the Cavs by beating them down the court over and over again. James Harden had no interest in getting back after misses. He and the Cavs folded like lawn chairs. The Knicks also had a 58-24 edge in bench points.

This was yet another all-around beatdown. They turned the Cavaliers into cadavers.

“I’m sorry for the city of Cleveland for it to be like this in a sweep,” Donovan Mitchell said. “That’s ass.”

That’s the state in which the Knicks left the Cavs.

Next? The Finals.

It’s been a while.

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers’ season officially ended at 10:31 P.M. on Monday, but they didn’t show much effort after about 8:30.

The New York Knicks, with nearly as many of their fans in attendance as there were Cavs fans, completed the sweep with a one-sided 130-93 win.

Cleveland started the game strong. Their offense looked much better with the assertion of Max Strus in the starting lineup. They scored on three of their first four possessions, jumping out to an early six-point advantage. Then, the Knicks turned it on and never looked back.

New York took control of the game at the end of the first quarter. They closed the frame on a 13-5 run, then scored the first 12 points of the second quarter. That made it a 24-point Knicks lead. Any hope of extending the series was extinguished with that run.

The remaining 33 minutes of play were just an excuse for the Knicks fans who packed Rocket Arena a chance to celebrate their team’s first trip to the Finals in over a quarter of a century.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs in scoring. He put up 31 points on 9-18 shooting. Evan Mobley had 15 points and seven rebounds.

It was a complete team effort for the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the starters with 19 points on 8-11 shooting with 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby had 17 points. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges had 15 apiece.

This was the furthest this Mitchell-led Cleveland group has gone in the playoffs, yet this postseason run was mostly unfulfilling.

The Cavs needed seven games — which was at least two too many — to get past a feisty, but inexperienced Toronto Raptors team that is far from a finished product. That was followed up with a seven-game series against a Detroit Pistons team that really couldn’t establish any consistent offense throughout the postseason. Then, they blew a golden opportunity to take Game 1 against New York by squandering a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter.

We’ll see where this team goes from here.

This was a turbulent regular season that featured injuries at every point and drastic trades in February to try to get the season back on track. On one hand, it’s impressive that they made it this far. But if this game — and series — were any indication of things, the Cavs have a long way to go if they want to compete for championships. Something needs to change.

It’ll likely be an active summer in Cleveland.

The dream season continues. 

With a Game 4 win over the Cavaliers on Monday night, the Knicks completed a Eastern Conference Finals sweep. 

New York is now headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. 

Mike Brown's squad has been able to do so with one of the most incredible runs in NBA history. 

The Knicks have not lost since going down 2-1 to the Hawks with a Game 3 first-round defeat, rattling off 11 consecutive victories against Atlanta, Philly, and now Cleveland. 

That is the third-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history. 

Brown's team has been clicking on all cylinders from top to bottom, completely dominating their opponents on both ends of the floor on a nightly basis.

They are an incredible +262 during the winning streak, which is the best point differential across 11 games in NBA history, regardless of regular or postseason play. 

The Knicks now await the winner of the Thunder and Spurs Western Conference Finals, which is knotted up at two games apiece heading into Tuesday’s Game 5. 

They'll be looking for the franchise’s third title, and the first since 1973. 

The New York Knicks jumped on the Cleveland Cavaliers early in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals and the "Inside the NBA" crew piled on at halftime.

The Cavaliers, down 3-0 and facing a sweep on their home court at the hands of the Knicks, came out flat and found themselves trailing 68-49 at halftime. During the "Inside the NBA" halftime show on ESPN, the studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith made it clear what they thought of Cleveland's effort.

"Kids at home, you oughta see what the word 'quit' means," Barkley riffed. "To give up. The verb of that is 'Ca-va-liers.'"

Chuck teaches the kids at home what the word 'quit' means 🤣 pic.twitter.com/dLcblwyKxY

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 26, 2026

That was followed by a graphic of a banner for the Cavs' season shown on screen. Rather than celebrating a championship, it simply reads "NBA Playoffs/Taylor Swift came to one of our games."

Inside the NBA at halftime: pic.twitter.com/IWDFGBrPKk

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 26, 2026

The Cavaliers pulled out Game 7 wins against the Toronto Raptors in the first round and the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but since their epic collapse in Game 1, they have been no match for the Knicks so far in this series.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavs mocked for quitting, given Taylor Swift banner by Inside the NBA

Cleveland cares not for Celebrity Row.

An assortment of the Knicks’ most famous fans traveled to Rocket Arena for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals for an up-close look at a Knicks sweep on Monday.

The Cavaliers didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet, however. Self-proclaimed Knicks “superfan” and rapper Fat Joe told ESPN the team scotched the courtside tickets he bought — with the Cavs telling The Post they were enforcing rules against re-selling first-row seats.

That didn’t keep the star power too far away.

Timothee Chalamet — with girlfriend Kylie Jenner in tow — reprised his usual Madison Square Garden role, and took selfies with fans.

Fat Joe did find his way into the building, as did actor Tracy Morgan. Garden sideline staple Ben Stiller didn’t miss the action, either.

Director Spike Lee made the trip, sharing a moment with Knicks assistant Rick Brunson before tip-off.

And what would a Knicks playoff game be without the alumni? Stephon Marbury hyped up a plane full of Knicks fans en route to Cleveland while John Starks, a guard on the 1999 squad that went to the Finals, watched this team do the same. Franchise icons Patrick Ewing and Walt “Clyde” Frazier were on hand to dole out the MVP trophy to Jalen Brunson.

Not that it was a full-on takeover. A game after Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift showed out — and the Chiefs star chugged a beer —rapper Machine Gun Kelly rooted on the home team wearing a Guardians hat.

Knicks Nation took to the skies on Monday. 

A social media video circulated hours before the Knicks took on the Cavaliers for Game 4, showing former Knicks player Stephon Marbury leading an unidentified flight to Cleveland in a “Go New York, Go New York, Go!” chant. 

“After the game. After the game, not before the game, we go crazy,” Marbury told the flight over the PA system. 

GO NEW YORK GO NEW YORK GO!

WOW. @StarburyMarbury gets an entire plane full of Knicks fans on their way to Cleveland ready to invade Rocket Arena.

The New York takeover is REAL. pic.twitter.com/syfv3QcOCq

— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) May 25, 2026

That’s when the New York native broke into the famous Knicks chant, which passengers on the plane fully took part in. 

In another video on social media, Marbury was seen hosting Knicks trivia for the other passengers and giving away a special edition pair of Knicks-themed glasses to the winner. 

Marbury played five seasons for the Knicks and the team made one postseason appearance in that time.

He averaged 18.2 points per game during his days in the orange and blue and started 282 regular-season games for the organization. 

From the flight that Marbury was on headed to Cleveland, it appears that the Knicks will be well represented during Game 4.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

Knicks fans made their presence known during Game 3 as the Knicks took a 3-0 series lead with their 121-108 victory on Saturday. 

Knicks fans have found cheaper tickets in Cleveland than MSG, allowing them the chance to see their team potentially clinch their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999. 

“It means the world to me as a born and bred New Yorker, living and dying with every shot,” Archer Batravil told The Post after making the trip to Cleveland from Miami for Game 4. “It’s been [27] years since 1999. I’m ready for the revenge game against the Spurs.”

The Knicks entered Monday’s contest having won 10 straight postseason games and having beaten their opponents by an average of 22.5 points.

Knicks sweep Cavaliers and advance to first NBA Finals since 1999 originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

For the first time in 27 years, the New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson and Co. extended their playoff winning streak to 11 games on Monday, completing a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the Eastern Conference Finals.

All but one of the Knicks’ wins have been by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 23.7 points.

The Knicks pulled their starters with 7:47 remaining and a 35-point lead as their large contingent of fans loudly chanted “Knicks in four!” New York fans easily outnumbered Cleveland fans as die-hard celebrity fans director Spike Lee, comedian Tracy Morgan and actor Timothée Chalamet and his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, made the trip.

“Our guys played great. You’re in the conference finals and score 65 points off of offensive rebounds and fast break points. I don’t know if I’ve seen that at this point of the year. We wanted to push the pace,” coach Mike Brown said.

Karl Anthony-Towns had 19 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 17 and the New York Knicks routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 Monday night to complete a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

The series was uncompetitive after Cleveland blew a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit in Game 1, with New York rolling to easy victories in Game 2 (109-93) and Game 3 (121-108).

It’s been a long time coming for the Knicks, who were largely uncompetitive throughout their 27 seasons between Finals appearances. From 2001 through 2022, the team missed the playoffs in 16 of 21 seasons and won just eight total postseason games.

Everything changed when the team signed Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks in 2022. Over the past four seasons, he’s made the All-NBA Second Team three times. Brunson led the Knicks to the second round in his first two seasons before an East Finals loss in 2025 and now an NBA Finals berth.

The Knicks will await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, which is tied 2-2. The NBA Finals will begin on Wednesday, June 3, regardless of when that series ends, and the Western champs will have home-court advantage.

New York lost to San Antonio 4-1 in its last Finals appearance in 1999. The team last won a championship in 1973.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren was among the 15 names listed on an All-NBA Team. He just barely made the cusp, receiving exactly the 15th-most votes at 87.

The lanky challenger at the rim is also coming off an NBA All-Star and All-Defensive First Team appearance for the first time in his career.

He’s on the chase for a second-straight NBA championship against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, tied at two games each. Holmgren became only the fourth Zag to win an NBA title last summer (Los Angeles Lakers’ Adam Morrison in 2009 and 2010, Miami Heat’s Ronny Turiaf in 2012, and San Antonio Spurs’ Austin Daye in 2014).

Through 69 starts for the Thunder, the 7-1 talent averaged 17.1 points on a shooting split of 55.7 percent from the field, 36.2 percent on three-pointers, and 79.2 percent at the charity stripe. His 8.9 rebounds per game rank tied for No. 11 in the NBA, while his 1.9 blocks per game are tied for No. 2. Most importantly, the world’s up-and-coming basketball star listed a defensive rating of 104.1.

Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on X @a_cravalho