The Seas Are Parting for the Knicks to Complete Historic Run

The New York Knicks didn’t play basketball on Sunday night. But they were the biggest winners, outside of the San Antonio Spurs, who actually won the game. The Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are duking it out punch for punch with the series now tied at two games apiece. The battle of attrition is real, and both are looking more and more beatable.

The Western Conference Finals possibly going the distance gives the Knicks even more incentive to bring the brooms out in Cleveland later tonight. The NBA Finals begin on June 3, no matter what. If coach Mike Brown’s team takes care of business, it’ll get nine days of rest between games again.

The winner out West will get six days off if the series wraps up in six games, or four days off if the series goes to a decisive Game 7. There's a good chance that the victor will be operating at far less than 100% going into the Finals. Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell missed Game 4 for the Thunder. Meanwhile, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are dealing with ankle issues.

The Knicks might not win the Finals, but they aren't going to get rolled over either

That being said, more rest for the Knicks makes the idea of winning a title an even more real possibility. The sea is parting not only for New York to earn their first trip to the Finals since 1999, but also to complete what’s been a historic playoff run thus far.

For over a month now, the Knicks have been firing on all cylinders – they haven’t lost a game in 32 days. That’s the most days in between losses in franchise history. In 2014 and 2018, the Knicks didn’t win a game for over a month. This is one of the most generational runs in the history of the sport and one of the most dominant ten-game streaks in playoff or regular-season history.

Amazingly, this winning streak is New York’s longest -- regular season or postseason -- since 2013. Only nine prior teams have ever won ten consecutive playoff games: 2024 Celtics, 2017 Warriors, 2017 Cavs, 2016 Cavs, 2012 Spurs, 2003 Nets, 2001 Lakers, 1999 Spurs, and 1989 Lakers. Of those teams, only the 1989 Lakers, 2003 Nets, 2012 Spurs, and 2017 Cavaliers didn't win it all.

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson brings the ball up the floor against the Cleveland Cavaliers. — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) controls the ball in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers during game three of the Eastern Conference Finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. | David Richard-Imagn Images

The longest playoff winning streak ever was the 15 straight games by the 2017 Warriors. Golden State finished that postseason run with a 16-1 record and won the NBA Finals. Ironically, it was Brown who was responsible for 13 of those wins while filling in for an ailing Steve Kerr.

New York's +234 point differential during these playoffs is the largest in NBA history. The second-best comes from the 2016-17 Warriors (+230), who are largely considered one of the greatest teams ever. The only two games the Knicks have lost so far were on CJ McCollum shots, by a combined two points.

Over their last ten games, the Knicks have a point differential of +225. The next highest over a 10-game span in NBA playoff history is +161 by the 2017 Cavaliers. The highest over a 10-game span in NBA regular season history is +214 by the 1973-1974 Bucks. The Knicks are beating teams by an average of 22.5 points during this stretch.

The Knicks are a historically great team and it's time they get discussed as such

The Knicks' offense is statistically the greatest offense of all time during this winning streak. They own the second-highest FG% over a ten-game span in NBA History, trailing just the 1987 Lakers. They also have recorded the highest true shooting % in playoff history (62.5%).

This is no fluke, as since January 20, the Knicks are 39-13. Meanwhile, the Thunder are 38-12 and the Spurs are 42-12. During this timeframe, the Knicks rank first in both offensive and defensive efficiency.

There’s no denying the opponents haven’t exactly been murderers’ row, but the Knicks' disrespect is outlandish. At the level they're playing at, they'd have beaten Boston and Detroit, too. It's not their fault that the higher seeds didn't hold up their end of the bargain. The Knicks faced the teams that knocked them out, and they've beaten the crap out of them.

The Knicks aren't just surviving and advancing

If the Knicks sweep, they’ll become just the sixth Eastern Conference team this century to make it to the NBA Finals losing two games or fewer, joining the 2024 Celtics, 2017 Cavaliers, 2016 Cavaliers, 2015 Cavaliers and 2003 Nets. They'll also have played eight games in the 33-day span between the end of the first round and the beginning of the Finals.

This run shouldn’t be contextualized based on their opponents. But rather the history they are making. The Knicks are an elite basketball team, and they'll have a chance to prove it by capping this run off with the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

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