The New York Knicks become the 13th team in NBA history to win NINE straight games in the same playoffs.
Of the 12 teams that did before them, seven won the title.
Getty
Josh Hart #3 reacts after scoring a basket against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter of the New York Knicks in Game Two of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 21, 2026 in New York City.
The red-hot New York Knicks won their ninth consecutive game on Thursday, becoming just the 13th team to maintain such a playoff winning streak.
Of those 12 previous teams, seven won the NBA championship.
As such, the Knicks have a 58% chance of ending their 53-year title drought this year.
The New York Knicks become the 13th team in NBA history to win NINE straight games in the same playoffs.
Of the 12 teams that did before them, seven won the title.
The Knicks have crushed opponents by an average margin of 23.6 points during their nine-game winning streak, while shooting 53.6% from the floor and 41% from three.
The 12 previous teams to win nine or more consecutive playoff games:
As seen above, 3/4 teams that won nine straight captured the title, save for Chris Paul’s Suns, who fell to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
The Knicks are two wins away from returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000, the year when Tim Duncan and the Spurs captured their first title. Incidentally, the Spurs won nine straight games that year en route to the title.
Jalen Brunson and Co. prevailed with a 109-3 win over the Cleveland Cavaliesr in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday. Brunson had his lowest points production in the ongoing playoffs, but finished with a playoff career-high 14 assists. The southpaw had to alter his game as the Cavs picked up the defensive pressure on him, routinely blitzing him the second he crossed half-court.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown praised Brunson for assessing the situation and altering his game, allowing his teammates to thrive. Josh Hart finished with a playoff-high 26 points while taking 21 shots, as Brunson took a backseat and turned into a point guard.
“As an MVP candidate, Jalen Brunson’s job is to make the game easier for his teammates. That’s what he did,” Brown said of Brunson.
Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson also had big praise for Brunson.
“That’s what great players do, right? They read the game, and the game dictated that” Atkinson said after his team fell to a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Knicks vs Cavaliers Game 3 tips off at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Knicks open as 1.5-point favorites despite playing on the road — a marker of their current dominance.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided's Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理，仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。