The New York Knicks punched their ticket to the NBA Finals with a dominant Game 4 victory on Monday night, taking down the Cleveland Cavaliers with a series sweep in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks enter the NBA Finals on an 11-game win streak dating back to their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
New York now awaits its championship opponent from the Western Conference. The San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are battling it out in the other conference finals, tied at 2-2 heading into Tuesday night’s Game 5 matchup.
During Tuesday morning’s episode of “First Take,” ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith — a staunch Knicks fan — made his confident NBA Finals prediction.
“They’re winning the chip. They’re winning the chip,” Smith said. “The New York Knicks will walk into the NBA Finals as the clear underdog … But the way the New York Knicks have been playing basketball, it obviously has to continue.”
More Basketball: Kendrick Perkins Doesn’t Hold Back After Cavaliers Get Swept
The Knicks will likely be listed as underdogs whoever they play against in NBA Finals. But as the Western Conference Finals continues to wear on, New York gets more and more time to rest and recover.
More Basketball: James Harden Sends Clear Message on NBA Future After Cavaliers Loss
The Knicks dominated Game 4, notching a 130-93 final score on the road.
“Our guys played great. You’re in the conference finals and score 65 points off of offensive rebounds and fast break points. I don’t know if I’ve seen that at this point of the year. We wanted to push the pace,” head coach Mike Brown said postgame.
Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Read the full article here
