The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals and they didn’t just get there – they bulldozed everyone in their path.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 17 and New York routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 on Monday night in Cleveland to complete a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference finals.
It is the first time the Knicks have reached the Finals since 1999 – when Jalen Brunson’s Dad, Rick was on the team – INSANE.
Brunson and Mikal Bridges added 15 points apiece, while Landry Shamet was outstanding off the bench with 16.
Brunson was named series MVP after averaging 25.5 points and 7.8 assists across the four games – a performance that underlined just how far he has taken this franchise.
The Knicks pulled their starters with 7:47 remaining and a 35-point lead as their enormous travelling fanbase loudly chanted “Knicks in four.”
This team has been on another level all postseason. New York became just the fourth team in NBA history to string together an 11-game winning streak during a playoff run, with the last team to do it being Golden State during their championship run in 2017.
All but one of their wins this postseason have come by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 23.7 points. They swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and demolished Atlanta by 51 points in their first-round clincher.
“Our guys played great. You’re in the conference finals and score 65 points off offensive rebounds and fast break points – I don’t know if I’ve seen that at this point of the year,” coach Mike Brown said.
For Towns, reaching the Finals carried a deeper meaning.
“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,” he said.
Donovan Mitchell gave everything he had for Cleveland, finishing with a game-high 31 points, but it wasn’t enough.
The Cavaliers were swept in a postseason series for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals against Golden State. James Harden added 12 points but shot just 2-of-8 from the field and made a bizarre comment after the game.
“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,” Harden said.
READ MORE: Stephen A. Smith Rips Kenny Atkinson After Bizarre Comments