From Patrick Ewing to Jalen Brunson: Knicks move within four wins of ending 53-Year NBA title drought originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The celebration inside Madison Square Garden felt decades in the making. After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, the New York Knicks are now just four wins away from capturing their first NBA championship since 1973 ending a title drought that has lasted nearly 19,400 days.
Powered by a dominant postseason run, the Knicks have reignited championship hopes across New York City. New York stormed through the Eastern Conference Finals with relentless defense and balanced scoring, including a 130-93 blowout victory in the series-clinching Game 4.
The Knicks’ playoff surge has been fueled by star guard Jalen Brunson, who delivered 38 points in Game 1 and continued orchestrating the offense throughout the series. New York dominated the glass and sharing the basketball at a high level. In Game 2, the Knicks outscored Cleveland 61-44 in the second half while shooting 48% from the field.
This run has revived memories of the franchise’s golden era, when legends like Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Earl Monroe brought championships and swagger to Madison Square Garden. Reed’s leadership in the 1970 and 1973 title runs remains part of NBA folklore, while Frazier’s smooth style and Monroe’s flair helped define basketball in New York.
Even without championships, later stars such as Patrick Ewing and Carmelo Anthony earned lasting admiration from Knicks fans desperate to see the franchise return to basketball’s biggest stage.
Now, that opportunity has finally arrived.
The Knicks enter the NBA Finals riding enormous momentum after winning 11 consecutive playoff games, according to reports. The city can sense history approaching once again. Four more victories would not only deliver a long-awaited championship, but also cement this Knicks team alongside the greatest eras in franchise history.
