The Knicks are only four wins away from their first NBA championship since 1973, a long, aching wait that’s tortured generations of fans. Falling short of that goal, even to a West juggernaut in seven games, would be an abject disappointment offering no consolation prize to the embittered passions of the mecca of basketball.

Still, it’s important to remark what the Knicks have accomplished on this run is nothing short of historic, no matter how it ends. It may not be what the fans or organization wants to hear, but they’ve already etched their names in the record books, whether a ring comes with it or not.

Since losing Game 3 in Atlanta, New York rattled off 11 consecutive playoff wins, taking three straight against the Hawks before sweeping the 76ers and Cavaliers. That’s currently tied for the third-longest postseason win streak in NBA history, one more ties the 1999 Spurs at 12, and three passes the Warriors at 15. 

The wins alone are impressive -- over a Hawks team that had the third-best record in the NBA post-All-Star break, a Sixers team that just topped the Celtics with their three stars, and a Cavs team that’s been a perennial top seed and acquired James Harden ahead of the deadline. 

But the way the Knicks have won has been in a category of its own.

New York avalanched these teams, with 10 wins coming by 11 or more points -- they beat Atlanta by 16, 29 then 51, before two additional 30-point victories over Philly and another against Cleveland.

The degree to which the Knicks are skating by the postseason is unmatched -- their 262-point differential in these 11 games is the largest in any 11-game span in NBA history, regular or poseason.

We’re on the stage where the competition is at its fiercest, every flaw is magnified, and the Knicks managed to look more dominant than any team ever, even in the regular season. They also broke a few more records on the way.

No team has ever led by 47 points going into halftime of a playoff game until these Knicks did it against the Hawks in a closeout Game 6. A couple games prior they tied the record for the most threes in a postseason game with 25.

Then there was Game 1 against Cleveland, when New York fell behind by as much as 22 points in the fourth quarter, improbably coming back and winning in overtime. That was the second-largest fourth quarter comeback in NBA playoffs history, amidst a streak of the greatest string of blowouts in the postseason.

The individual accolades haven’t met these standards after multiple record-breaking feats by Jalen Brunson in previous playoffs, but that’s kind of the point. The Knicks are truly playing team-first basketball, with each individual sacrificing to play the most optimal versions of themselves in pursuit of winning.

They haven’t even done it in one particular way -- it took mid-series adjustments against the Hawks and Cavs to continue this run unabridged. Now the Knicks are going to the Finals for the first time in 27 years, as the first NBA Cup Champions to do so, and the first team in franchise history to pull off multiple sweeps.

These things may not mean much at the moment to Knicks fans salivating over the Larry O’Brien trophy, and even less so if the Knicks were to lose. But after decades of toiling, failed promises and broken rebuilds, it should.

Should New York fall short in the Finals, as tragic as that outcome may be to some, it shouldn’t take away from the impressiveness of the Knicks' run that got them there. Few teams have exhibited this type of sheer command over a conference in such style, and that should absolutely be commended.

More than the streak and insane blowouts, the real history is the Knicks managing to break a quarter-century curse and rebuild themselves back into a contender with good management and finding the superstar hidden in plain sight. 

Coming one or two wins short of the ultimate goal isn’t a rebuttal of that -- but a validation.