The New York Knicks are NBA Finals Bound

What was once a dream has now become a reality. The New York Knicks have battled their way to the 2026 NBA Finals. For the first time in 27 years, the Knicks are once again four wins away from a Championship. Although the job's not finished, it feels good to finally make it out of the East.

I'm still basking in how amazing of a feeling it is to see these guys chase their goals and put on for the city. This Knicks squad will arguably go down as one of the best we've ever seen, title or not.

Before the season started, myself and all other Knicks fans were worried. Tom Thibodeau was fired in June and Mike Brown was hired to replace him. The East was wide open and the Knicks were coming off a dreadful Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers the spring prior. All signs pointed toward this season being one of those defining moments for the organization, and jobs were certainly on the line if this season didn't end in an NBA Finals run.

Welp, here we are. The Knicks are in the NBA Finals, playing their best basketball of the season.

Let's have some fun while we're on this wild ride. This piece will take a glimpse at the Knicks' historic playoff run, along with my thoughts heading into the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Game 1 of the Finals tips off on Wednesday, June 3rd in San Antonio.

The world will be watching.

A playoff run that will be talked about for generations

Eleven straight playoff victories and two straight series sweeps. The Knicks swept their way through the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Finals, completely wearing out the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers along the way. The graphic below says it all about how good this team really was on their way to the 2026 Eastern Conference Title. To be up there in the history books with the prime 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors is absolutely unreal.

Shoutout Nate Duncan for the graphic

In my last post, I talked about the keys to winning the Eastern Conference Finals: hot shooting and winning the first half.

In the ECF, the Knicks delivered, shooting a collective 51% from the field and 38% from three. Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart all scored in double figures while Landry Shamet picked up some massive minutes and ended up burying 11-of-12 from deep. The Knicks have found an absolute groove shooting the basketball; time and time again in the ECF, the Cavaliers tried to storm back, only for the Knicks to bury them with clutch shots.

Game 1 of the ECF started out slow, and it looked like ten days of rest would lead to a tough early series loss at home. But something clicked with about eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Even down 93-71, the Knicks never gave up. Jalen Brunson led the charge with a 38-point masterpiece, storming back in front of a raucous crowd at MSG. Before that game, NBA teams trailing by 22 or more points in the fourth quarter of a playoff game were a combined 1-594 since 1997.

That game set the tone for the rest of the series. After that breakthrough, the Knicks won every first half - and second half, for that matter - playing complete basketball and dismantling the Cavs on their way to a sweep. Games 2 through 4 were double-digit victories, culminating in a 37-point series clincher in Cleveland in Game 4. Winning every single half coming out of that historic performance in the fourth quarter and OT of game 1 just makes it all that much sweeter.

NBA Finals preview

Me cheering on the Nova Knicks in game 1 of the NBA Finals

As I mentioned above, the NBA Finals start on Wednesday, June 3. By that time, the Knicks will have had eight days of rest and preparation ahead of the series. Their opponent? Not so much.

The Spurs just went through a grueling seven-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder in what will go down as a Western Conference Finals for the ages. The Knicks will have their work cut out for them; the Spurs have the best player on the planet in Victor Wembanyama and a strong supporting cast that can run the floor and shoot the basketball at a high clip. Mitch Johnson will have his team prepared, but will they have enough gas to keep up with the Knicks and Josh Hart's motor in transition?

The Spurs put it all on the line in the WCF. What felt like and NBA Finals-esque series will have hopefully worn them out heading into this matchup. Fresh legs can make or break a game at any level of basketball and the Knicks will have that edge.

The Knicks will need to continue their strong offensive output against a Spurs team that can score and play lock-down defense. Outside shooting will be the key to winning the scoring battle, as hitting from deep will essentially pull Wemby out of the paint where he feasts on shot-blocking and rim defense. Keeping up the hot hand from outside the arc will stress the Spurs' perimeter defense and ultimately lead to more opportunities inside. That means more opportunities for Jalen Brunson to go iso on guys like Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox, or Keldon Johnson. I think shooting will again be the defining factor for this Knicks team against an opponent of this caliber.

It will be a battle for the ages: one of the best players on the planet in Wemby hoping to solidify his status with a ring vs a scrappy Knicks team fighting to end a 53-year championship drought.

In Closing

This will arguably be the Knicks' toughest test of these playoffs, and what better opponent to rematch with than the one they beat for the NBA cup title back in December?

The Knicks will begin the series on the road and have to come out hot in a frenzied San Antonio home environment. That fan base is itching for revenge from the NBA cup and are looking to hang a banner in the rafters for the first time in 12 years.

It's exciting to finally be here. Take time to enjoy the ride, Knicks fans. We have earned this moment after years upon years of mediocrity.

Oh yeah and one more thing....

Knicks in 6.