New York Knicks booked their first trip to the NBA finals since 1999 with a decisive 130-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday to finish off the Eastern Conference finals 4-0.
Towns racked up 19 points and 14 boards for the Knicks while OG Anunoby posted 17 to fuel a complete all-around performance by New York.
Landry Shamet had 16 points coming off the bench for New York, while Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson had 15 each in a rout of Cleveland by the passionate travelling fan base.
Donovan Mitchell poured in 31 for the Cavaliers, who faded to an 8-2 early advantage and a 20-0 run for the Knicks that really changed the complexion of the game. New York led 68-49 at the half and at its biggest point stretched their lead out to 45 before coach Mike Brown began clearing the bench in the fourth quarter.
The win marks New York’s 11 th game in a row winning postseason contests. They become just the fourth team in the ABA-NBA merger to compile a streak this long.
The Knicks make it to the finals in the first season of coach Mike Brown’s tenure after taking over from Tom Thibodeau in this quick turnaround for the team. They will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals on June 3. New York will have home-court advantage depending on the outcome of that series.
