Isaiah Hartenstein, Thunder Finals-Bound, Vanquishing Former Knicks

One former New York Knicks standout is on his way to the NBA Finals — at the expense of two fellow former metropolitan starters.

Isaiah Hartenstein will officially play for an NBA championship after his Oklahoma City Thunder topped the Minnesota Timberwolves by a 124-94 final in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday night, securing a 4-1 victory in the best-of-seven set. Downed in defeat were Manhattanites Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle, a pair of ex-Manhattanites who were sent north in the deal that acquired Karl-Anthony Towns.

There's still a chance that past and present Knicks could square off in the Finals: the Knicks are still alive on the Eastern side of the bracket, though they currently trail the Indiana Pacers by a 3-1 tally. Game 5 of that series is slated for Thursday night at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET, TNT).

The Thunder, owners of the NBA's top regular season record at 68-14, will play for the Association title for the first time since 2012 and the fifth time overall (including three showings as the Seattle SuperSonics). They were able to make the leap to the Finals thanks in part to the addition of Hartenstein, who inked a three-year, $87 million offseason deal after two tours with the Knicks.

Serving as the starting center on a team playing for a championship is the latest landmark of an eventful career for Hartenstein, the 2019 G League Finals MVP who was a bit of a nomad before finding a small sense of stability in Manhattan. Rising into the Knicks' starting five made him one of the most covetable interior assets over the offseason and he has lived up to all the hype, notably averaging a double-double in the regular season (11.2 points, 10.7 rebounds).

Thus ends a rollercoaster Minnesota debut for DiVincenzo and Randle, who helped pushed the Timberwolves to their second consecutive showing in the WCF. Though each struggled in the regular season, Randle was one of the Wolves' stronger postseason performers: the three-time All-Star averaged over 21 points and five assists and rebounds each in this tournament after missing all of last year's edition with a shoulder injury that prematurely ended his Knicks career.

Hartenstein's presence in the NBA Finals continues one of the more bizarre streaks in NBA history, as every edition of the championship series has featured a past, present, or future Knick competing. The apparent requirement was fulfilled last season when Luke Kornet and Kirstaps Porzingis repped the Boston Celtics against Tim Hardaway Jr. and the Dallas Mavericks.

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