yahoo - 5/26/2026 5:03:25 AM - GMT (+2 )
The Knicks completed a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals after a 130-93 win on Monday night.
Here are the takeaways...-- New York has been blowing teams out during this incredible playoff run its on right now and a lot of that has to do with getting out to early leads which happened again in Game 4. It took a minute as the Cavs, desperate to keep their season alive, came out aggressive, particularly Donovan Mitchell, but the Knicks eventually imposed their will and took advantage of Cleveland's lack of hustle while getting back on defense.
-- The two biggest scorers in the early part of the game were, no surprise, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, but the first quarter was truly an all-out team affair with bench players Landry Shamet and Miles McBride also hitting some big shots to kill any momentum the Cavs were trying to create.
Both players kept up their hot shooting in the second quarter where New York continued to extend its lead. Shamet, in particular, was in his bag and had the hot hand from beyond the arc. He finished with 16 points on 5-for-6 from the floor and 4-for-4 from deep.
-- In the blink of an eye, thanks to a 12-0 run to kick off the second quarter, the Knicks had a 24-point lead on the Cavs and were simply the far superior team. They dominated Cleveland in nearly every aspect of the game, most notably rebounding and fast-break points.
-- Other than Mitchell, the Cavs had no answers to keep up with New York's fine-tuned offense and looked disjointed and at times uninterested on most of their possessions. For his part, Mitchell showed up and finished with 31 points, but his scoring mate James Harden had a terrible game and scored just 12 points on 2-for-8 from the floor (0-for-6 from deep). As a team, Cleveland shot a paltry 27.5 percent from three-point range.
-- As for the Knicks, they couldn't miss from downtown. Along with Shamet, Towns literally didn't miss a single three ball (3-for-3) with Brunson and McBride also chipping in from behind the line. As a team, New York shot 44 percent from deep and had 33 assists on the night. But it wasn't just the three-point shot that had New York rolling; everything was working.
The Knicks outrebounded the Cavs, 60-33, including 20-6 on the offensive glass. Towns finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and Mitchell Robinson had 10 in 18 minutes off the bench. They also had 15 steals on the night with contributions up and down the lineup in that department.
-- New York's lead grew to as large as 45 points in the fourth quarter with Cleveland waiving the white flag. Both teams emptied their bench with still eight minutes to play, and even with their reserves on the court the Knicks didn't miss a step.
Every single player who stepped onto the court for New York had a positive impact on the game with nobody finishing with a plus-minus rating below plus-2.
Game MVP: Landry ShametSham-wow's energy off the bench was the catalyst for the Knicks' annihilation of the Cavs and he finished with a game-high plus-minus rating of plus-28.
HighlightsMikal Bridges with the Knicks' first points pic.twitter.com/0Cej2nuuZV
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
OG DROPS THE HAMMER! pic.twitter.com/zyhrhszptM
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
KAT from long range pic.twitter.com/ycjC9isXAf
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
Mikal ➡️ Mitch! pic.twitter.com/lvv3FqAfeU
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
Volume up to hear "DEUUUUUUUUCE" in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/f7RjeyZbBh
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
SHAM-WOW.
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
LANDRY SHAMET PUTS THE KNICKS UP 20! pic.twitter.com/BEEFpgptb7
What's nextWHAT A SHOT BY MIKAL BRIDGES! pic.twitter.com/Rj5ZDIECW7
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 26, 2026
The Knicks await the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.
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