For the first time in 27 years, the New York Knicks are back to the NBA Finals. The Knicks completed the sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, leading to plenty of celebrations in New York and social media.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith shared his reaction to the Knicks reaching the NBA Finals on X, formerly known as Twitter. Smith was happy and emotional about his team’s historic victory, with Jalen Brunson leading the Knicks to their first NBA Finals berth since 1999.
Smith correctly predicted that the Knicks are making the NBA Finals, but he has upgraded it to an NBA championship win.
“Finally, 27 years, 27 years, we here and we ain’t finished,” Smith said. “We ain’t finished. I said we were going to the Finals. We’re going to win the Finals! We’re going to win the Finals! Go New York, Go New York, Go. Contain myself, I’m cool. Four more, four more, four more.”
It’s a bold prediction for Smith, but it’s not a wild one, considering the Knicks have won 11 straight games since being down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.
They swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Western Conference Finals. They have a lot of momentum heading into the NBA Finals.
However, the Knicks won’t have homecourt advantage regardless if they face the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.
Jalen Brunson Named Eastern Conference Finals MVP
The New York Knicks dominated the Cleveland Cavaliers from start to finish of Game 4. They had a 19-point lead at halftime, so it was all but over at that point, mainly due to the Cavs players’ body language.
Karl-Anthony Towns led the way for the Knicks, finishing with 19 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Landry Shamet had 16 points off the bench, while Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges scored 15 points each.
OG Anunoby added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Knicks’ 130-93 win.
Brunson was named as Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 25.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 1.0 steals in four games.
Due to their win, the Knicks will have more than a week of rest. They have ample time to prepare for the NBA Finals and watch how the other series plays out.
New York Knicks NBA Finals Schedule
Here’s the scheduled of the NBA Finals, which will be televised live on ABC.
- Game 1: June 3 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City or Frost Bank Center in San Antonio
- Game 2: June 5 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City or Frost Bank Center in San Antonio
- Game 3: June 8 at Madison Square Garden in New York
- Game 4: June 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York
- Game 5: June 13 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City or Frost Bank Center in San Antonio if necessary
- Game 6: June 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York if necessary
- Game 7: June 19 at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City or Frost Bank Center in San Antonio if necessary
The Knicks won’t have homecourt advantage in the NBA Finals since they only won 53 games in the regular season. The Thunder had a league-high 64 wins, while the Spurs won 62.
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