From The Sports Desk: New Yorkers rejoice as the Knicks return to the NBA Finals

NBAFrom The Sports Desk: New Yorkers rejoice as the Knicks return to the NBA Finals The Knicks swept the Cavs and are back in the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years.Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet react after New York Knicks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena.David Richard / Imagn ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 26, 2026, 3:00 PM EDTBy Rohan Nadkarni and Doha MadaniAre the New York Knicks the best team in the NBA? Over the past few weeks, they’ve sure looked like it. After falling behind the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round of the playoffs, New York has rattled off 11 straight wins, by a margin of about 24 points per game, to reach its first NBA Finals since 1999.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.After the Knicks dismantled the Cleveland Cavaliers last night to win the Eastern Conference finals, New York fans gathered to celebrate outside Madison Square Garden, when the game had been played in … Cleveland. Imagine what the scene will look like if the Knicks win it all.Our Rohan Nadkarni breaks down the Knicks’ run below, and Spain’s Lamine Yamal is our World Cup spotlight of the day. For more NBA and World Cup coverage, as always, check out the NBC News website.NBA PlayoffsWith the New York Knicks back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, the question now is, can they actually win a championship as they last did in 1973?Remember, the Knicks entered the playoffs under significant pressure to win. Last year, New York fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after he guided the team to the conference finals, which at the time was the team’s best postseason finish since 2000.“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” team president Leon Rose said in the statement announcing Thibodeau’s firing.Rose’s lofty expectations were echoed by owner James Dolan in January.“I’d s...