{"id":457,"date":"2026-05-26T04:10:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T04:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=457"},"modified":"2026-05-26T04:10:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T04:10:37","slug":"knicks-end-nba-finals-drought-after-demolishing-cavaliers-to-complete-sweep","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=457","title":{"rendered":"Knicks end NBA Finals drought after demolishing Cavaliers to complete sweep"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

CLEVELAND \u2014 Next.<\/p>\n

History was made. Redemption was secured.<\/p>\n

Next comes the biggest stage in the sport. Next comes the chance to end the drought that matters most.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s right: Beyond Iran deal, the Abraham Accords are key to lasting peace<\/a><\/p>\n

Next comes the chance for glory.<\/p>\n

It felt like the Knicks couldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Owner James Dolan\u2019s Finals-or-bust mandate has been fulfilled \u2014 in emphatic fashion. They stormed past the conference finals roadblock that they couldn\u2019t get past last year.<\/p>\n

The 21st century had never witnessed or experienced the absolute mania that surrounds a Knicks Finals run. Finally, at long last, it\u2019s arrived.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s provided every reason to believe they\u2019re not close to being finished. Every reason to believe that these surging Knicks can conquer either the Thunder or Spurs \u2014 who are tied 2-2 \u2014 and win their first championship since 1973.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s back-to-back overpowering series sweeps. It\u2019s three straight closeout games in which Knicks fans completely took over the opposing arena. It\u2019s a full-circle moment for coach Mike Brown, who reached the Finals against the team he made his last Finals appearance with \u2014 in 2007 \u2014 and that fired him twice. It\u2019s the latest \u2014 and so far, most meaningful \u2014 feat of the Jalen Brunson era as he keeps rising higher and higher on the hierarchy of Knicks legends. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a long-awaited breakthrough for Karl-Anthony Towns, who lost in the conference finals the last two years \u2014 with the Timberwolves and Knicks \u2013 before finally getting past that hurdle this year. It\u2019s validation for president Leon Rose and all the moves he made, particularly his controversial trade for Mikal Bridges \u2014 who has been playing some of the best basketball of his career.<\/p>\n

Read more How to think about the Iran war \u2014 and what it means for oil and stocks<\/a><\/p>\n

It is so, so many things.<\/p>\n

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\u2019 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 \u2013 the Knicks swatted away the Cavs like a gnat.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s analytics could save the Cavs. Brown was able to pull his starters and empty his bench for almost the whole fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\tKnicks Merch Shop\t\t<\/div>\n