For the first time since 1999, the New York Knicks are Eastern Conference champions.
It’s been 27 agonizing years for the organization and their parched fan base, thirsty for success and more specifically an NBA title. Now the Knicks are back in the NBA Finals, on the doorstep of winning the franchise’s third league title, joining the 1970 and 1973 squads.
The current iteration of the Knicks have reached this moment by having one of the most remarkable postseason runs in the history of the National Basketball Association. The league turns 79 on June 6, having been founded that day in 1946 — just nine months after the official end of World War II.
The praise should be spread across the entire organizational landscape from team owner James Dolan, to team president Leon Rose, head coach Mike Brown, and of course the players. Credit should also be given to the assistant coaches, as well as training and medical staff personnel who have been critically important to the Knicks’ ascension as well.
Their dazzling 130-93 road victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals concluded a 4-0 sweep of the best-of-seven series and was the team’s 11th straight playoff victory. Driven by All-Star guard Jalen Brunson, who deservedly was named the conference finals’ MVP, the Knicks are only the fourth team to have a playoff winning streak of 11 games or more heading into the NBA Finals. They join the 1989 and 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2017 Golden State Warriors.
New York’s last loss, 109-108 to the Atlanta Hawks in the opening round, was on April 23, over one month ago. They took that series 4-2 then subsequently dismissed the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals 4-0.
Over 14 playoff games, the Knicks outscored the Hawks, 76ers and Cavaliers by 271 cumulative points and closed out each series by at least 30, obliterating the Hawks 140-89 in Game 6, routing the 76ers 144-114 in Game 4 and overwhelming the Cavaliers by 37.
The Knicks’ stunning and meteoric postseason trajectory has instilled a palpable feeling among its ardent devotees that they are a team of destiny.
“I feel like the word ‘hope’ has been gone from the New York Knicks’ name for a long time and for me to be part of this team that revives hope is something special,” said center Karl-Anthony Towns following a team-high 19 points and game-high 14 rebounds in Game 4.
Coach Brown, in his first season at the helm of the Knicks, has been instrumental in eliciting unqualified belief that this is the team to end the franchise’s 53-year championship gap.
“Down the stretch, there was always a little bit of question whether we’d be able to get over the hump,” Brown said. “With about six or seven games to go, I started to see us playing some good basketball and do things that were more selfless and more sacrificing. During the regular season you have your ups and downs. Sometimes we got through it quickly, sometimes it took us a minute to figure it out.”
Now the Knicks await the winner of the Western Conference Finals. The reigning league NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder hold a 3-2 lead over the San Antonio Spurs with Game 6 tonight in San Antonio.
Either team will be the most imposing beast the Knicks have battled this postseason and are arguably the two best basketball teams in the world.
The Knicks beg to differ. They can prove it beginning next Wednesday on the road for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.