NEW YORK (AFP) — The New York Knicks advanced to the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals for the first time since 1999 with a 130-93 victory at Cleveland on Monday, stretching their team-record playoff win streak to 11 games.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 19 points and 14 rebounds, O.G. Anunoby added 17 points and reserve Landry Shamet had 16 points with 4-of-4 three-point shooting to lead the Knicks’ blowout triumph.
“We’re going to enjoy it for a day or two, but we’ve got a larger goal here, and we’ve got to start locking in,” Shamet said.
New York swept the Cavaliers 4-0 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final and will play for the crown starting 3 June.
New York, which won its only NBA titles in 1970 and 1973, will face either defending champions Oklahoma City or San Antonio, who are tied 2-2 in the Western Conference final.
“We’ve got four more wins to try and go get, and we know it’s going to be even harder,” Shamet said.
“Being in this position with this team, it’s pretty special.”
The Knicks would have to sweep the finals to equal the NBA record playoff win streak of 15 by Golden State in 2017.
“We knew our team was capable of doing this,” Towns said.
“All we had to do was put the work in and continue to believe in each other. That’s what we did, and that’s why we’re here.”
Jalen Brunson, who was named the series Most Valuable Player with an average of 25.5 points, 7.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, added 15 points for New York, who improved to 12-2 in the playoffs.
“It means a lot, but I wouldn’t be here without my teammates, the belief they had in me,” said Brunson, who was two years old when the Knicks last made the finals, when his father was a guard on the club.