The New York Knicks just wrapped up an absolute historic playoff run with an insane 16-3 record, totally blowing past their old franchise bests of 12-7 in ’69-70 and 12-5 in ’72-73. Seriously, that’s their best playoff record, ever. After 53 years, these guys didn’t just win a championship, they rewrote their own history books doing it.
Unstoppable Momentum
They ripped off 13 consecutive playoff wins, dude, just two shy of the NBA record! That monster streak included three wins against the Hawks, four over the 76ers, another four against the Cavs, and then two huge ones to start the Finals against the Spurs. It was pure dominance. Remember that Hawks series? In Game 6, the Knicks were up by a FIFTY-THREE point lead after just three quarters, 117-64. That’s the biggest lead after three quarters in playoff history. At one point, they were up by 61! Just total domination, man.
Clutch Heroes Step Up Big Time
And Jalen Brunson? Man, he went OFF for 45 points in the Game 5 championship clincher. That’s almost half their total points, 47.8 percent to be exact! And get this, he was only drafted 33rd overall back in 2018, third pick of the second round. Talk about a steal! He even hit 6 three-pointers in that Game 4 clincher against the 76ers.
OG Anunoby elevated his game like crazy in the playoffs, too. His scoring jumped from 16.7 ppg to 20.1 ppg, his field goal percentage went from 48.4 to 56.1, and his three-point percentage shot up from 38.6 to 48.9. Then there was THAT moment: 1.2 seconds left on the clock in Game 4 of the Finals when he threw up that Flying Tip-In. Seriously, it’s already being called arguably the most important shot in Knicks history, one of the most significant plays in New York sports history, period.
Karl-Anthony Towns came through with two triple-doubles in the Hawks series alone, in Game 4 and Game 6. Nobody on the Knicks had ever done that in the same playoff series before! Incredible. Landry Shamet was lights out from deep, hitting an insane 67.6 percent of his three-pointers (23 of 34) across eight games, from Game 3 of the 76ers series, through the entire Cavs series and Game 2 of the NBA Finals. He nailed 4 threes in that Game 4 76ers clincher too. And Mikal Bridges? He was just automatic. An outrageous 68.2 percent field goal percentage over 10 straight playoff games, going 73-for-107. Are you kidding me? Josh Hart also hit a playoff career-high 26 points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cavs, draining five 3-pointers. Every single guy on this team stepped up.
History Made With Every Possession
Speaking of threes, in that Game 4 clincher against the 76ers, the Knicks dropped 25 three-pointers, tying an NBA playoff record! Miles McBride led the charge with 7, Brunson had 6, and both Josh Hart and Shamet chipped in with 4 each. Pure firepower.
But the real heart of this team showed in the Finals. Remember that miracle Game 4 comeback against the Spurs? They were down by 29 points, the largest comeback in NBA Finals history! And get this, the Knicks actually trailed by double digits in ALL FIVE of the NBA Finals games against the Spurs, but they still managed to win four of them. Talk about grit and never giving up.
This whole championship run was appointment viewing, pulling in an average of 20.6 million viewers for the five-game series. Man, what a time to be a Knicks fan, right? They did it, they absolutely did it. What a season to remember for real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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