Knicks sweep Cavaliers 4-0 to reach first NBA Finals since 1999, extending playoff win streak to 11 games

The New York Knicks are heading back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 after a dominant 130-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, completing a 4-0 sweep of the Eastern Conference finals. The win extended the Knicks' franchise-record playoff winning streak to 11 games, matching the third-longest single-postseason run in league history.

How the game unfolded

New York seized control early with a devastating 20-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, turning a 17-14 deficit into a 50-26 lead. A dunk by Karl-Anthony Towns punctuated the surge. The Knicks built a 61-32 advantage on Landry Shamet's third three-pointer of the half and never looked back, pushing the margin to 123-78 in the fourth quarter. The 37-point defeat was the Cavaliers' largest ever in a playoff home game.

Dominant performances

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Knicks with 19 points and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby added 17 points, while Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench on a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range. Jalen Brunson, unanimously named the series MVP, and Mikal Bridges each finished with 15 points. Josh Hart contributed six points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. New York overwhelmed Cleveland on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 60-33, with backup center Mitchell Robinson grabbing 10 boards in 18 minutes.

It means a lot, but I wouldn't be here without my team-mates, the belief they had in me. This coaching staff, this organization, these fans... Without them, none of this would be possible.

Cleveland's effort falls short

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 31 points for the Cavaliers, and Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds. James Harden struggled, finishing with 12 points and five turnovers while missing all six of his three-point attempts. Cleveland backup point guard Dennis Schroder was a late scratch due to illness. The Cavs were overwhelmed by 22 turnovers after halftime.

A 27-year wait ends

The Knicks' only NBA championships came in 1970 and 1973. Their last Finals appearance in 1999 ended in a 4-1 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. Jalen Brunson was two years old at the time, while his father Rick Brunson — now an assistant coach with the Knicks — was a guard on that 1999 team. Head coach Mike Brown, who led the Cavaliers to their first Eastern Conference crown in 2007, is now headed to his second NBA Finals as a head coach.

We're going to enjoy it for a day or two, but we have a bigger goal to achieve and we need to get back to work seriously. We've got four more wins to try and go get and we know it's going to be even harder.

What comes next

The NBA Finals begin on June 3. The Knicks will face the winner of the Western Conference finals between the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, featuring Victor Wembanyama. That series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday. If the Knicks sweep the Finals, they would equal the NBA-record playoff win streak of 15 set by the Golden State Warriors in 2017.

Celebration in New York

New York City limited attendance to 6,000 at a viewing event near Madison Square Garden, but that did not contain the celebration as fans poured into the streets of Midtown. Mayor Zohran Mamdani tweeted, "I would like to declare a sweep," referencing the 4-0 series result. Among the Knicks' celebrity fans seated courtside in Cleveland were comedian Tracy Morgan, filmmaker Spike Lee, and actor Timothee Chalamet.