On Monday night, the Knicks swept their second straight opponent with a 130-93 obliteration of the Cleveland Cavaliers and advanced to the NBA Finals where they await the winner of the Spurs vs Thunder series.
This is New York’s first time in the Finals since 1999 when, as the no. 8 seed, the Knicks took out the Heat, Hawks and Pacers before wilting to David Robinson, Tim Duncan and the Spurs in five games after losing Patrick Ewing to a ruptured Achilles against the Pacers.
But this year’s team, which many didn’t think would make the Finals, is very different.
Led by superstar Jalen Brunson, the 2025-26 Knicks team have given New York fans so many reasons to believe that this is the year they finally win the title that has evaded the city since 1973.
They have decimated three straight opponents with beats downs of 51 (Hawks), 39 (76ers), 37 (Cavs) and 30 (76ers) and have won 11 straight games while setting a record for the largest point differential in NBA playoffs history.
Statistically and performance wise, this run has been nothing short of incredible, stunning almost every basketball show and analyst across the dial.
Even Shaq clapped it up for the team, coaches, players and fans on Monday night.
But as much as this run is about the product on the NBA hardwood, it’s also just as much about the culture that surrounds it, for New York is a culture that is unique, addictive and cannot duplicated.
And every player on this Knicks team embodies that culture in their own way.
Whether its in their blood, like Brooklyn native Jose Alvarado, or their connection to the city, like Brunson and Karl Anthony-Towns, this team is rife with a NYC mindset that’s reflected in how they play and how they think; the team even awarded Timbs, a hardhat and a reflective vest to players who balled out on defense. You can’t get much more New York than that!
That mindset has brought out the creative geniuses through memes, images, videos and apparel.
