The New York Knicks are heading to their first NBA Finals in 27 years after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in a dominant Eastern Conference Finals series.
The Cavaliers never stood a chance in a do-or-die Game 4 clash in Cleveland on Monday night as they were swept by the rampant Knicks in humiliating fashion.
New York, backed by its host of famous fans who had jetted into Ohio from the Big Apple, ran riot to a 130-93 victory at Rocket Arena on Monday night, sealing their spot in the Finals.
It marks the first time that the Knicks have reached the NBA’s championship series for the first time since 1999.
Despite wrapping up the series on the road, the Knick’s triumph sparked bedlam back home in the Big Apple.
An army of NYPD officers had descended on Madison Square Garden long before the final whistle blew back in Cleveland in anticipation of the mayhem that would unravel outside the iconic Manhattan arena.
The New York Knicks are heading to their first NBA Finals in 27 years after a Game 4 win
The Knicks ran riot to a 130-93 victory to sweep the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East
Fans flocked to MSG, sparking wild scenes as they celebrated the long-awaited end of their team’s Finals exile.
Seventh and Eighth Avenues were a picture of mayhem outside the iconic Manhattan arena as fans gathered under the watchful eye of the host of cops guarding the doors.
Meanwhile, those who had soaked up the action from Radio City Hall, where an official watch party had been hosted, also spilled out onto the streets, sending the heart of New York City into a frenzy.
The Knicks were an unstoppable force on the court, by as many as 29 in the first half and were up 68-49 at halftime. It was the fourth time this postseason the Knicks were up by at least 19 after 24 minutes.
Unbelievably, their dominance only grew in the second half with them extending the gap to 45 points in the fourth quarter – the largest lead of the game.
Karl Anthony-Towns had 19 points and 14 rebounds, while OG Anunoby scored 17 to see the Knicks rout the Cavaliers.
Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench while Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson had 15 apiece for the Knicks, who became the fourth team to have an 11-game winning streak during their postseason run.
The last to do it was Golden State, which had a 15-game run en route to its second title in three seasons in 2017.
Karl Anthony-Towns, pictured driving to the basket, had 19 points and 14 rebounds
New York was backed by its host of famous fans, including Timothee Chalamet
The Marty Supreme star had made the journey to Ohio to cheer on his beloved team
The Knicks pulled their starters with 7:47 remaining and a 35-point lead as their large contingent of fans loudly chanted ‘Knicks in four!’
Based on the decibel level and ‘Let’s Go Knicks!’ chants throughout the game, New York fans seemed to have made the journey, even outnumbering Clevelanders, who are holding out hope that the Cavs can somehow overcome an 0-3 deficit in the series.
Among the New York A-list celebrities on hand were former Knicks players Walt ‘Clyde’ Frazier and Allan Houston.
New York will play the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs in the Finals. The Western Conference finals is tied at two games apiece with Game 5 to be played in Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
The Thunder or Spurs will have homecourt advantage when the Finals start on June 3 because of a better regular-season record.
This will be the Knicks third appearance in the Finals since winning their last title in 1973. They lost in seven games to Houston in 1994 and in five to San Antonio in 1999.
It is the 15th time since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 that a coach has reached the finals in his first year with a team. The Knicks hired Mike Brown after parting ways with Tom Thibodeau after they reached the Eastern Conference finals last year, but lost in six games to Indiana.
It will be Brown’s second trip to the Finals as a coach. His last trip was with Cleveland in 2007.
Donovan MItchell had 31 points for Cleveland, which was swept in a postseason series for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals against Golden State.
Mitchell scored the Cavaliers first eight points as they jumped out to an 8-2 lead. Cleveland led for most of the first six minutes before New York took control.
Evan Mobley’s putback dunk gave the Cavaliers a 17-14 advantage before the Knicks scored nine straight points.
A floater by Mitchell got Cleveland within 30-26 with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter when New York went on a 20-0 run over a five-minute span. The Knicks were 8 of 14 from the field, including four 3-pointers. The bench scored 15 points, including a pair of 3-pointers by Shamet. The seventh-year guard was 11 of 12 from beyond the arc during the series.
Cleveland was 0 for 9 from the field during its drought, including missing all three shots from beyond the arc, and committed four turnovers.
More to follow.
