History suggests that the New York Knicks will not only return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 26 years, but also end their 53-year title drought.
That’s because the red-hot Knicks have achieved something this postseason that only three previous championship-winning teams — the 2025 Oklahoma City Thunder, 2008 Boston Celtics and 1987 Los Angeles Lakers — accomplished en route to the title.
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 Sunday’s Game 4.
“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.”
Knicks Decimate the 76ers
The Knicks similarly steamrolled the Atlanta Hawks, 140-89, in a series-clinching Game 6 in the first round. As such, they’ve closed out two consecutive series in style — both on the road — to continue their dominance in the playoffs.
Mike Brown’s team is on a seven-game winning streak since going down 2-1 to the Hawks in the first round. The remarkable turnaround has catapulted them to the status of overwhelming favorites to represent the East in the 2026 NBA Finals.
During their seven-game winning streak, the Knicks have smashed opponents by an average margin of 26.4 points, while shooting 54.8% from the field and 43.2% from three. They’ve also averaged an NBA-best 125.3 points during this timeframe.
In Sunday’s series-clincher against the 76ers, four different starters scored over 15 points, while the bench contributed a playoff-high 51 points, as the Knicks had an answer to everything that Tyrese Maxey and Co. threw at them.
Knicks Headed to NBA Finals?
After the win, Knicks players refused to celebrate too much, making it clear that they still had to win two more series to complete their goal of an NBA title.
“No relief, no jubilation. Just another step in the process,” Josh Hart said, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
“The way we beat Boston last year, the comebacks and all that, it was — I don’t want to say it was celebratory — but it hit a little bit differently. Here, it’s business as normal, and we got to make sure we’re locked in and focused.”
Jalen Brunson said his team wasn’t in a celebratory mood despite the sweep.
“I didn’t say [it was] celebratory,” Brunson said.
“I think for the most part, we’re focused, and we have to continue to have that focus, the attention to detail, the edge that we have to have is really important.”
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns echoed those sentments.
“Our team, the first year with each other, beating Boston last year we were very excited,” Towns said. “This year, we’re locked into the moment, and there’s a lot more work to do. So, it’s great to see our guys kind of hungry for the next challenge.”The
Knicks will face either the Detroit Pistons or the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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