The New York Knicks finally managed to reach the NBA Finals after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0, reaching the finals for the first time since 1999, a historic achievement they accomplished thanks to the great leadership of Mike Brown, who revealed the moment they forged themselves as a team.
It was not an easy road for a team that replaced Tom Thibodeau last summer amid a great deal of skepticism. However, Brown pointed out that the final stretch of the regular season was the moment when the locker room fully came together.
“It was always a little bit of a question, whether or not we’d be able to get over the hump, but down the stretch of the regular season with 6 or 7 games to go, we started to play good basketball and do more things that involved more sacrificing from the group,” Brown admitted.
The Knicks’ great postseason
After dismantling the Atlanta Hawks in the first round (six games) and demolishing the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round (four games), Jalen Brunson and company manhandled the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, sweeping the Cavs in an absolutely dominant fashion.
Mike Brown of the Knicks
In the Knicks’ series-clinching win in Game 4 on the road on Monday night, they left no doubt about who the best team was in the series, as they came out on top via a 130-93 score. That 37-point victory also represents the completion of a historic achievement by New York.
The Knicks become the first team in NBA history to win 3 series-clinching games by 20+ points in a single postseason, with the Hawks +51, 76ers +30, and against the Cavaliers +37.
Jalen Brunson: The star they needed
Jalen Brunson got his well-deserved recognition following his incredible performances after the Eastern Conference Finals series, winning the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Brunson is going through the eighth season of his NBA career, his fourth with the Knicks. He has elevated the franchise to serious playoff contention, getting to the East Finals in back-to-back years in 2025 and 2026.
This time, he got them over the hump by sweeping the Cavaliers after four games to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. As a result, he ended the series as the MVP after averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game.
