The New York Knicks will take a seven-game winning streak into the Eastern Conference Finals, emerging as the overwhelming favorite to end their 26-year NBA Finals drought.
During their win streak, the Knicks have crushed their opponents by an average margin of 26.4 points, while shooting 54.8% from the field and 43.2% from three.
Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr. has seen enough and feels the Knicks are clearly the team to beat and will be “scary” in a potential NBA Finals matchup.
“They got a good nucleus, and they’re feeling really, really good about themselves,” Hardaway told FanDuel TV’s “Run it Back” of the Knicks.
“They’re looking scary and like [the team to beat],” Hardaway continued. “Also, I love that they were like ‘Alright, cool’ after their owner [James Dolan] said, ‘We better get to the championship, or stuff is gonna happen.’ That’s what they’re looking like.”
Knicks Wait for Pistons, Cavs
The Knicks currently await the winner of the Detroit Pistons vs. Cleveland Cavaliers series, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals likely to start on May 17 or May 19. Although the Cavs took a 3-2 series lead over the Pistons on Wednesday, Hardaway feels that the Pistons vs. Knicks series will prove to be more competitive.
“Hopefully Detroit will win this series,” Hardaway said.
“Then we’re gonna see a really, really good matchup. That series will be good for all the fans who love NBA basketball.”
Further to Hardaway’s point, the top-seeded Pistons swept the Knicks 3-0 by an average margin of 28.0 points in their three regular-season matchups. While the Knicks have found their mojo in the playoffs, the Pistons could pose some problems for Mike Brown and Co. with their tenacious defense and interior presence.
Knicks NBA Finals Odds
History suggests that the Knicks will not only return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 26 years, but also end their 53-year title drought.
Per ESPN Insights, the Knicks joined an exclusive club of former champions when they crushed the Philadelphia 76ers by a 30-point margin, 144-114, in their series-clinching win last Sunday. The red-hot Knicks have achieved something in these playoffs that only three previous championship-winning teams — the 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder, 2008 Boston Celtics and 1987 Los Angeles Lakers — accomplished en route the title.
“The Knicks are the 4th team in NBA history with multiple 30-point series-clinching wins in a single postseason. They join the 2025 Thunder, 2008 Celtics, and 1987 Lakers. All 3 of those teams went on to win the NBA title.”
The Knicks (-215) are the betting favorites to represent the East in the NBA Finals and have the third-shortest odds (+550) to win the title, behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder (-175) and San Antonio Spurs (+340), per ESPNBet.
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