May 26, 2026, 8:39 a.m. ET
The New York Knicks are going back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers, securing the series win on the road. It was a decisive victory for New York, with only the first game in the series being close as the Knicks overcame a 22-point, 4th-quarter deficit to win in overtime.
The postseason run has created a feverish excitement in New York, with celebrity super fans like Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan and Timothée Chalamet all making appearances at games.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, a rabid Knicks fan, had the most perfect social media response to the victory. Mamdani tagged the New York sanitation department and added just six words. “I’d like to report a sweep.”
The Knicks will play either Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs or NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals. That series is tied 2-2.