Look, political news comes first, but I had to circle back to this: On Monday, the New York Knicks secured their spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93. It marked a complete sweep for New York in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks have been dominant this playoff run, simply unstoppable. The point differential heading into the Finals is the highest in NBA history. It's not a fluke either: the East, as some noted, had a 60-win Detroit team, a Sixers team that beat the Boston Celtics in seven games, and an Atlanta Hawks squad that went on an 18-2 run in the second half of the regular season. The Knicks are elite, and they’ve bulldozed their way to clinch the East.
Knicks 4-0 Cavaliers Conference Finals Tape pic.twitter.com/9corRA9LJt
— ᴛᴀʜᴊ ♛ (@simplyballup) May 26, 2026
The 2026 Knicks in the playoffs:
— Onyx (@OnyxOdds) May 29, 2026
- Highest Net Rating ever
- Highest point differential ever
- Biggest rest advantage ever
- Didn’t have to face a Top-2 seed in the East
- Pope went to the same college as their star players
Team of Destiny pic.twitter.com/vrHV8qrVxZ
The Knicks’ only playoff losses have been by 1 point each. This is one of the craziest runs in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/pJ9S8qpy9X
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 26, 2026
"They are so good I owe the whole state and all five boroughs of New York an apology. ... It reminds me of that Detroit team that beat us. ... They just got a bunch of guys that are just together."@SHAQ joined the @RichEisenShow to give the Knicks their flowers 🏀 pic.twitter.com/lcGrWFJ7yQ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 26, 2026
“Nobody has ever done what the Knicks did and what they’ve done this postseason is be so utterly dominant leading into elimination games that in the elimination games, all three of their opponents have quit.”@getnickwright breaks down the Knicks' ECF sweep: pic.twitter.com/ee5VxeAubS
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 26, 2026
"Start spreading the news!"
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 27, 2026
—@Espngreeny on why the New York Knicks are "not a fluke." pic.twitter.com/dQwJBWW4nX
The Knicks have been UNSTOPPABLE in the playoffs pic.twitter.com/SJPx5L1RAD
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) May 26, 2026
The New York Knicks just played the most dominant 10-game stretch in NBA history, and it's not even remotely close pic.twitter.com/5qaLngvQLE
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) May 26, 2026
Cleveland, you got your asses kicked. The series was over when the Knicks went on a 44-11 run in the fourth quarter of game one to complete an incredible comeback that the Cavaliers could never recover from. After their blowout, it would’ve been nice for them to admit one simple fact: New York was the better team. You got crushed. So, I don’t want to hear, ‘if we won both game sixes in the first and second rounds, we would’ve beaten New York,’ as Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said in the post-game press conference. This coach also said that his team beat the Knicks analytically in two-out-of-three games heading into their game four slaughter.
Kenny Atkinson said losing the Game 6s in the previous rounds hurt the Cavaliers
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
"We win those Game 6s we beat the Knicks - I'm not saying that, but I think it gives us a better chance. But the density of the frequency of the games played a part in it" pic.twitter.com/kRFs2vzTcV
“Genuinely, I do feel like we are the better team,” - James Harden after the Cavs were swept by the Knicks 🫨🫨🫨 pic.twitter.com/JtDk8A7D2F
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 26, 2026
Kenny, that’s delusional. So was James Harden’s remark that he felt Cleveland was the better team. You were not. First, in game four, Cleveland simply gave up after the first quarter. Second, if your entire strategy for beating the Knicks relies on making three-point shots, that’s not a good plan. Third, there was nothing you could do to match the Knicks offensively or defensively. New York also had more depth; Cleveland’s bench was terrible. They tried to take Jalen Brunson out of the game. Fine, Brunson had a night with assists, which also left Josh Hart open to have a record playoff performance. And that’s the point: this starting lineup can beat you in many ways, and credit goes to coach Mike Brown — the guys finally bought into it.
Everyone is overlooking New York, thinking the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs is the real championship series. That’s no longer the case. The Knicks can hang with anyone, and if they continue to play like this, they can beat anyone, too. OKC and the Spurs look tired, and now the injuries are piling up.Brian Windhorst believes this Knicks team has what it takes to win the NBA Finals 👀@WindhorstESPN on @notthefakeSVP after New York completes the sweep in Cleveland ✍️ pic.twitter.com/kcagyDqA5K
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 26, 2026
"Can anybody coming out of the East stand up to [the Spurs and the Thunder]? The Knicks have answered that question: Yes they can."@LegsESPN tells @notthefakeSVP the Knicks can compete with whoever comes out of the West 😤 pic.twitter.com/47OEispdFJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 26, 2026
Tim Legler says the “West is gonna smoke the Knicks” takes are foolish
— KnicksWilding (@KnicksWilding) May 28, 2026
“The Knicks absolutely can look both of these teams in the eye.” #alwaysknicks pic.twitter.com/Yu3nJ5SwWG
The New York Knicks can take down anyone when they play this way pic.twitter.com/ASfx9SBOK2
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) May 26, 2026
It should still be a great series, no matter who wins the West. I’m not afraid of either team.
Knicks being dominant has absolutely nothing to do with a weak Eastern Conference.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) May 24, 2026
Hawks… had 18-2 stretch late in season
Sixers… eliminated a great Celtics team
Cavs… eliminated a 60-win Pistons team
Knicks are an elite basketball team.
Hawks were not an easy matchup. That team was great in the 2nd half of the season.
— Sam Block (@theblockspot) May 26, 2026
Sixers were not an easy matchup. That team just knocked off the big bad Boston Celtics.
Cavs were not an easy matchup. That team just took down the 1-seed Pistons.
The New York Knicks are elite.
Let’s go, Knicks, your 2026 Eastern Conference Champions!
The 2026 Eastern Conference Champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IOp07pMwWn
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 26, 2026
Four more wins, fellas.
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