Monday night was more than just a basketball game for Stephen A. Smith, a lifelong, vocal fan of the New York Knicks. He had spent 27 years waiting for this celebratory occasion.

On X, the ESPN personality shared what had been on his mind. "Finally. Twenty-seven years, 27 years… we here! And we ain't finished," Smith posted. "I said we going to the Finals, we going to the Finals. We gonna win the Finals! Four more, four more… four more."

Smith's statement was more than just a display of emotion. The Knicks decisively defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93, fulfilling all their promises.

The win, it completed their sweep of the Eastern Conference Finals, sort of the most dominating playoff run for them since the 1999 Finals. With an 11-game winning streak, New York is right there among the top four teams to reach this same feat in the postseason era, tying with Golden State’s 2017 champion squad.

What also makes the Knicks remarkable is the fact that they don't have any one star carrying all the weight. Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 19 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby chipped in 17 points, and Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson both scored 15. Landry Shamet went 11-for-12 in three-point shots and scored 16 points off the bench.

Head coach Mike Brown led this team to the Finals in his first season with New York, becoming the 15th coach in the NBA's history to reach the playoffs in his first season with their team.

However, the journey to this point was anything but simple. Here's how the Knicks subtly crafted something unexpected.

How the Knicks Turned a Roster Overhaul Into a Finals Run

The Knicks reached the Finals by sweeping Cleveland 4-0, their first appearance since 1999. What was remarkable was the context around it.

But only months ago, the franchise scrapped Tom Thibodeau for Mike Brown, despite many questions and concerns.

Brown identified the turning point himself. "It was always a little bit of a question — whether or not we'd be able to get over the hump, but down the stretch of the regular season with 6 or 7 games to go, we started to play good basketball and do more things that involved more sacrificing from the group," Brown told Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News.

That was the team's sacrifice that was carried straight to the playoffs. First, New York shut out Atlanta in six games; then, they aimed and knocked Philadelphia in four, dominating Cleveland with a 130-93 victory in Game 4 to cap off the sweep.

Three series, three dominant finishes, no question on who was in the Finals.

These stats are historically astounding. The Knicks rallied to become the first team in NBA history to secure three series-deciding victories by double-figures in a single postseason, beating Atlanta 51, Philadelphia 30, and Cleveland 37.

What do you think the Knicks can do to finish the job and bring home their first title since 1973? Comment down below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta