Knicks complete sweep to advance to Eastern Conference finals

The Knicks are through, and they didn’t just sneak through. They buried Philadelphia in Game 4, won 144-114 on Sunday, May 10, and turned an East semifinal into a sweep. That matters because closeout games are usually ugly, tense things. This one was the opposite — New York looked like the sharper, deeper, more modern team from the opening minutes and never really let the series breathe again. ### How decisive was the clincher? Very. The Knicks led by 20 before the first quarter ended and pushed the margin as high as 44. Philadelphia’s only lead was 2-0. After that, the game basically became a demonstration of what happens when one team gets clean looks all night and the other can’t keep up from deep. New York finished with 144 points, six players in double figures, and a 4-0 series win that sent the “if necessary” games off the schedule. (nba.com) ### What actually broke the game open? The 3-point line. New York went 25-for-44 from deep, which tied the NBA playoff record for made threes in a game and set a Knicks franchise record across regular season and postseason. Philadelphia went 8-for-35. That gap alone explains a lot of the blowout — the Knicks were down in points in the paint at halftime and still up huge because the math from outside was absurd. (nba.com) ### Was this just the Jalen Brunson show? Not exactly — and that’s part of why the result feels important. Brunson had 22, but Miles McBride led the team with 25 points and hit 7 of 9 from three. The bigger story was balance. Twelve Knicks scored at least five points, and New York’s offense kept humming without needing one player to take 30 shots. In a long playoff run, that kind of shared scoring matters more than one heroic night. (nba.com) ### What does the sweep say about this Knicks team? It says the Knicks are not just surviving rounds — they’re imposing themselves. NBA.com tagged this as New York’s second straight trip to the Eastern Conference finals, and the way they got there matters almost as much as the fact that they got there. They’ve now stacked multiple double-digit playoff wins, including this 30-point closeout, and they finished the series looking faster, deeper, and more connected than the 76ers. (nba.com) ### Why is the margin such a big deal? Because sweeps can be misleading if every game is a coin flip. This didn’t end that way. Game 4 was a statement win, and NBA.com noted that through three quarters it was tracking as one of the most efficient offensive performances seen in decades before garbage time dragged the rate down. So this wasn’t just “advance and move on.” It was New York showing a ceiling that looks dangerous. (nba.com) ### Who do the Knicks get next? They’re waiting on Detroit-Cleveland. The playoff bracket shows New York already slotted into the Eastern Conference finals, while that other semifinal was tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 on May 13. So the Knicks get two advantages at once — they advance, and they get extra rest while the other side keeps trading punches. (nba.com) ### Why does the rest matter here? Because playoff attrition is real. A sweep means fewer high-leverage minutes for Brunson and company, fewer emergency adjustments, and more time to recover and prep. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s the kind of edge contenders try to create. New York earned it the best possible way — by removing all drama early. (nba.com) ### Bottom line The Knicks didn’t just reach the Eastern Conference finals. They arrived looking like a team that can make the round after that feel realistic too. Philadelphia got swept. New York got louder. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)