Knicks end NBA Finals drought after demolishing Cavaliers to complete sweep

CLEVELAND — Next.

History was made. Redemption was secured.

Next comes the biggest stage in the sport. Next comes the chance to end the drought that matters most.

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Next comes the chance for glory.

It felt like the Knicks couldn’t be bothered with this series any longer. The Cavaliers, too, in the opposite manner. And it produced another epic blowout, as the Knicks bludgeoned the Cavs 130-93 on Monday night at Rocket Arena to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Owner James Dolan’s Finals-or-bust mandate has been fulfilled — in emphatic fashion. They stormed past the conference finals roadblock that they couldn’t get past last year.

The 21st century had never witnessed or experienced the absolute mania that surrounds a Knicks Finals run. Finally, at long last, it’s arrived.

And it’s provided every reason to believe they’re not close to being finished. Every reason to believe that these surging Knicks can conquer either the Thunder or Spurs — who are tied 2-2 — and win their first championship since 1973.

This tour de force has so far ripped through Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland. There has been minimal resistance on the way. Since midway through the first round, this is now an incredible 11-game winning streak. Only one of those wins was by single digits. There are so many new records set with each passing game that it makes your head spin.

It’s back-to-back overpowering series sweeps. It’s three straight closeout games in which Knicks fans completely took over the opposing arena. It’s a full-circle moment for coach Mike Brown, who reached the Finals against the team he made his last Finals appearance with — in 2007 — and that fired him twice. It’s the latest — and so far, most meaningful — feat of the Jalen Brunson era as he keeps rising higher and higher on the hierarchy of Knicks legends.

It’s a long-awaited breakthrough for Karl-Anthony Towns, who lost in the conference finals the last two years — with the Timberwolves and Knicks – before finally getting past that hurdle this year. It’s validation for president Leon Rose and all the moves he made, particularly his controversial trade for Mikal Bridges — who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career.

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It is so, so many things.

Brown has repeatedly talked about closeout games being the hardest. At this point, it almost feels like satire. They have won their three closeout games by a combined 118 points. They had broken the Cavs’ spirits by Monday, just like they did with the Hawks and 76ers by the end of those series. This game was much more dismissive than dramatic – the Knicks swatted away the Cavs like a gnat.

It would be inaccurate to say the Cavs let go of the rope Monday, because they never truly grabbed hold of it in the first place.

The Knicks used a 20-0 run to build their lead. By midway through the second quarter, that lead had ballooned to 29 points. It became a full Knicks party behind enemy lines. An Eastern Conference coronation in somebody else’s house.

The Cavs cut it to 16 by the start of the third quarter, but the Knicks got it back to 27 points by the start of the fourth quarter. Not even Kenny Atkinson’s analytics could save the Cavs. Brown was able to pull his starters and empty his bench for almost the whole fourth quarter.

The scoring was, once again, perfectly balanced. Towns led the way with 19 (and 14 rebounds), OG Anunoby had 17, Brunson and Bridges had 15 apiece and Josh Hart added six along with 11 rebounds and six assists. Landry Shamet drilled all four 3s he took and provided 16 points off the bench.

The Knicks had a 33-9 advantage in fast-break points, embarrassing the Cavs by beating them down the court over and over again. James Harden had no interest in getting back after misses. He and the Cavs folded like lawn chairs. The Knicks also had a 58-24 edge in bench points.

This was yet another all-around beatdown. They turned the Cavaliers into cadavers.

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Next? The Finals.

It’s been a while.