Knicks complete 4-0 sweep, advance to Eastern Conference finals

The Knicks didn’t just beat the 76ers. They detonated the series. New York won Game 4 in Philadelphia, 144-114, on Sunday, May 10, and finished off a 4-0 sweep to become the first team into the 2026 conference finals. The bigger point is how they did it — with another avalanche offense, another road crowd that sounded weirdly pro-Knicks, and a level of control that made the matchup feel over long before the buzzer. (foxsports.com) ### How bad was Game 4? Pretty bad if you were the Sixers. New York scored 43 points in the first quarter, 38 more in the second, and had 81 by halftime. (nba.com) The Knicks finished at 53.8% from the field and 56.8% from 3, while Philadelphia went just 8-for-35 from deep. That’s the kind of shot-making gap that turns a playoff elimination game into a crowd shot by the third quarter. ### What made the Knicks so overwhelming? The 3-point volume was the headline. New York tied an NBA postseason record with 25 made 3s in Game 4, and that wasn’t empty stat-padding late. (foxsports.com) The game was basically bent out of shape in the opening stretch, when the Knicks hit 11 3s in the first quarter alone. That’s like spotting a playoff opponent a flamethrower before they’ve even settled in. ### Who drove it? Not just one guy — that’s part of why this is getting scary for the rest of the East. (foxsports.com) Deuce McBride started for the injured OG Anunoby, went 4-for-4 from 3 in the first quarter, finished with seven made 3s and scored 25 points. Jalen Brunson added 22, and Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 17 each. When Brunson is the organizer instead of the emergency scorer, New York gets a lot harder to scheme against. ### Wait — they did this without Anunoby? Yes, and that matters. Anunoby was still out with a strained right hamstring, so the Knicks were missing one of their best two-way wings. (wvnews.com) But McBride stepped into the starting group and the whole machine kept humming. That’s the part contenders want — not just stars, but lineups that still make sense when one important piece drops out. ### Was this just one hot shooting night? Not really. Game 4 was the loudest version of a trend. New York opened the series by beating Philadelphia 137-98, then won 108-102 and 108-94, and then dropped 144 to finish it. (nba.com) Through two rounds, the Knicks’ average margin of victory reached 19.4 points per game, the biggest through two rounds in the 16-team playoff era. Basically — this has been domination, not survival. ### Why does “first team through” matter? Because rest is real in May. The Knicks are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second straight season, and now they get to wait while Cleveland and Detroit keep playing. (abc7ny.com) That means more recovery time, more prep time, and maybe more time for Anunoby’s hamstring. In a postseason where everybody is carrying something, a few extra days can be a real edge. ### What does this say about New York now? It says the Knicks look less like a fun story and more like a fully formed contender. They’ve won seven straight playoff games, they can bury teams early, and they aren’t relying on one narrow path to score. (espn.com) Brunson is still the center of everything, but the support pieces are hitting hard enough that opponents can’t just load up and hope. ### Bottom line The news isn’t only that New York advanced. It’s that the Knicks made the second round look easy. A sweep is one thing. A sweep with 144 points in the clincher, 25 made 3s, and a bench guard exploding into the starting lineup is something else. (nba.com) That’s not just moving on — that’s announcing yourself.