New York back in NBA Finals for
first time since 1999 after beating Cleveland 130-93 to finish sweep
[May 26, 2026]
By JOE REEDY
CLEVELAND (AP) — 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.
Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench while Mikal Bridges and Jalen
Brunson had 15 apiece for the Knicks, who became the fourth team to
have an 11-game winning streak during their postseason run. The last
to do it was Golden State, which had a 15-game run en route to its
second title in three seasons in 2017.
All but one of the Knicks’ wins have been by double digits, with an
average margin of victory of 23.7 points.
“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,” Towns said.
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.
The Knicks dominated in second-chance points, outscoring the
Cavaliers 32-5. They also had a 33-9 advantage in fast break points.
New York will play the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder or
San Antonio Spurs in the finals. The Western Conference finals is
tied at two games apiece with Game 5 to be played in Oklahoma City
on Tuesday. The Thunder or Spurs will have homecourt advantage when
the finals start on June 3 because of a better regular-season
record.
This will be the Knicks third appearance in the finals since winning
their last title in 1973. They lost in seven games to Houston in
1994 and in five to San Antonio in 1999.
Knicks legends Walt “Clyde” Frazier and Patrick Ewing presented the
Bob Cousy Trophy to the Knicks on the court.
It is the 15th time since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 that a coach
has reached the finals in his first year with a team. The Knicks
hired Brown after parting ways with Tom Thibodeau after they reached
the Eastern Conference finals last year, but lost in six games to
Indiana.
It will be Brown's second trip to the finals as a coach. His last
trip was with Cleveland in 2007.
The Knicks have won all three of their clinching games during the
playoffs by at least 30 points. They routed the Atlanta Hawks by 51
in Game 6 of the first round (140-89) and then defeated the
Philadelphia 76ers by 30 (144-114) in Game 4 of the second round to
complete a sweep.
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New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots during the
second half of Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA
basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in
Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Brunson was named the MVP of the series after
averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists.
Donovan Mitchell had 31 points for Cleveland, which was swept in a
postseason series for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals
against Golden State.
“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.
Mitchell scored the Cavaliers first eight points as they jumped out
to an 8-2 lead. Cleveland led for most of the first six minutes
before New York took control.
Evan Mobley's putback dunk gave the Cavaliers a 17-14 advantage
before the Knicks scored nine straight points.
A floater by Mitchell got Cleveland within 30-26 with 2:12 remaining
in the first quarter when New York went on a 20-0 run over a
five-minute span. The Knicks were 8 of 14 from the field, including
four 3-pointers. The bench scored 15 points, including a pair of
3-pointers by Shamet. The seventh-year guard was 11 of 12 from
beyond the arc during the series.
Cleveland was 0 for 9 from the field during its drought, including
missing all three shots from beyond the arc, and committed four
turnovers.
The Knicks led by as many as 29 in the first half and were up 68-49
at halftime. It was the fourth time this postseason the Knicks were
up by at least 19 after 24 minutes.
Knicks already had four players in double figures in the first half.
Towns had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
New York's largest lead was 45 points in the fourth quarter.
James Harden, who finished with 12 points but was 2 of 8 from the
field, lamented Cleveland's missed opportunities. Besides not making
open shots throughout the series, the Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead
in the fourth quarter in Game 1 before losing 115-104 in overtime.
“Yes, it was 4-0, but we didn’t give ourselves a chance. Genuinely,
I think we are the better team. but series wise we didn’t show it,"
he said.
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