The New York Knicks will play for the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the first time in 27 years.
Karl-Anthony Towns scored 19 points with 14 rebounds as the Knicks romped the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 on Monday to sweep the Eastern Conference finals.
Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson was named the MVP of the Eastern Conference finals in a unanimous vote by the nine-person media panel. Brunson scored 15 points and dished out five assists before resting for the entire fourth quarter.
JALEN BRUNSON WINS EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS MVP 👏
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2026
Walt Frazier presents Brunson with the Larry Bird Trophy 🏆
The New York Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999! pic.twitter.com/a8JwvUQ0Kk
OG Anunoby added 17 points with seven rebounds and four assists, while Landry Shamet chipped in with 16 off the bench, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from distance.
The win is the Knicks' 11th straight this postseason, dating back to Game 4 against the Atlanta Hawks. It's their second consecutive sweep after beating the Philadelphia 76ers in four games in Round 2.
The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals in 1999 when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs. New York hasn't won a championship since 1973.
New York will get over a week of rest with Game 1 of the Finals scheduled for June 3. The Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs is guaranteed to go at least six games. The series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 set for Tuesday in Oklahoma City and Game 6 slated for Thursday in San Antonio.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 31 points, but he and Evan Mobley were the only two Cavaliers to score at least 15. James Harden struggled again, shooting 2-of-8 from the field and missing all six of his 3-point attempts for 12 points. He also had five turnovers to just two assists.
The Knicks will be on the road for Games 1 and 2 of the Finals against the Spurs-Thunder winner.
