The Golden State Warriors set a standard in the 2016-17 playoffs that looked untouchable. Fifteen consecutive postseason wins. Sweeps of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Utah Jazz, and the San Antonio Spurs before a 3-0 series lead on the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The Warriors eventually fell short of a perfect postseason in Game 4 before closing it out in Game 5, but the record stood.
It has stood ever since. Until now, no team had come close to matching it.
The New York Knicks are 13 wins into a consecutive playoff winning streak. Two more and they tie Golden State’s record. A sweep of the Spurs would do exactly that, and deliver New York its first championship since 1973 in the process.
How the Knicks Got Here
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson celebrates during Game 2 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Following the victory, Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum pointed to a first-round playoff moment as the turning point behind New York’s 13-game postseason winning streak.
Six and a half weeks ago, New York trailed the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round after back-to-back one-point losses. The mood in New York was dark. Questions about coach Mike Brown’s future were already circulating.
Brown addressed it directly after the Game 3 loss. He kept it simple, pointing to the seven-game format and the examples of teams that had overcome similar deficits. Then the Knicks went on a run that nobody saw coming.
Thirteen straight wins. Sweeps of the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers after recovering against Atlanta. Two wins to open the NBA Finals against the Spurs. The only team in NBA history to win 13 consecutive playoff games in a single postseason run before this was the 2016-17 Warriors.
The Warriors Connection
GettyMike Brown New York Knicks.
The thread connecting those Warriors to these Knicks runs deeper than just the record. Brown was an assistant on Golden State’s 2017 staff and went 12-0 as acting head coach during that playoff run while Steve Kerr was sidelined with back issues. He has now orchestrated two of the longest postseason winning streaks in NBA history from the bench.
“You’ve got to have good players,” Brown said. “I’m not that smart. You’ve got to have good players that carry you.”
The numbers behind New York’s run tell a remarkable story. The Knicks have outscored their four opponents across these 13 games by 273 points, the largest 13-game margin in NBA playoff history. The previous record was 225, set by those same 2017 Warriors. Eleven of the 13 wins have come by double figures. New York is 8-0 on the road during the streak, with those wins coming by an average of 21.5 points.
What It Would Take to Tie the Record
GettyKevin Durant and Stephen Curry, then of the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State’s record of 15 consecutive playoff wins in a single postseason remains intact for now. The Knicks hold a 2-0 lead over the Spurs heading into Games 3 and 4 in New York. A sweep would give them 15 straight, tie the record, and deliver the franchise its first championship since 1973 all at once.
The last team to sweep the NBA Finals was the 2018 Warriors. New York would be the first team since to accomplish it if they close out San Antonio without a loss.
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will have something to say about that. Game 2 was decided by a single point. Golden State’s record is not gone yet.
Final Word for the Warriors
The 2016-17 Warriors built something historic. Fifteen consecutive playoff wins remains one of the most dominant single-season postseason runs in NBA history, and that record has held for nearly a decade.
The Knicks are two wins away from tying it. They are playing at a level that suggests they are capable of doing exactly that.
The standard the Warriors set in 2017 made this conversation possible. That is worth remembering regardless of how the Finals end.
Brown was part of both. That says everything.
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