Knicks secure first NBA Finals berth since 1999 as schedule released
New York completes 11-game playoff winning streak with sweep of Cleveland, setting up potential rematch with San Antonio or clash with defending champions Oklahoma City.
The New York Knicks have secured the 2026 Eastern Conference championship, marking their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1999. By defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the franchise has extended its postseason winning streak to 11 games, the longest in its history and tied for the third-longest in NBA history.
The Knicks will now await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The series is currently tied 2-2, with Game 5 scheduled for Tuesday in Oklahoma City. The defending champions hold home-court advantage but are severely shorthanded, having lost Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell to injury for Game 4, which significantly impacted their offensive output.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled for more than a week away, resulting in a lengthy layoff for New York. This break follows their dominant run, during which they have not lost since Game 3 of their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks on April 23. The extended gap provides a recovery period for the exhausted Western Conference finalists before they host New York for the championship series.
If the San Antonio Spurs win the West, it will set up a rematch of the 1999 Finals, which San Antonio won in five games. The last NBA Finals game played at Madison Square Garden was Game 5 of that series on June 25, 1999. When the Knicks host Game 3 in two weeks, it will be the first Finals game at the venue in 9,845 days.
The upcoming matchup presents a significant challenge for New York, as both potential opponents feature two of the best players in the NBA: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the Thunder and Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs. The Knicks, who have not won an NBA championship since 1973, face a daunting task to end their 27-year title drought against the league’s top-tier competition.
