{"id":1955894,"date":"2026-05-26T14:15:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T11:15:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1955894"},"modified":"2026-05-26T14:15:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T11:15:29","slug":"the-bounce-the-knicks-are-partying-like-its-1999","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1955894","title":{"rendered":"The Bounce: The Knicks are partying like it\u2019s 1999"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">The Bounce Newslette<\/b><strong>r<\/strong> <span class=\"c-emoji c-emoji__medium c-emoji--inline\" data-qa=\"emoji\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class src=\"https:\/\/a.slack-edge.com\/production-standard-emoji-assets\/14.0\/apple-medium\/1f3c0@2x.png\" alt=\":basketball:\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" aria-label=\"basketball emoji\" data-stringify-type=\"emoji\" data-stringify-emoji=\":basketball:\"><\/span> | This is <em>The Athletic\u2019s<\/em> daily NBA newsletter. <a class=\"c-link c-link--underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/the-bounce\/?source=pulsenewsletter&amp;campaign=9178780&amp;userId=10748855\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/theathletic.com\/newsletters\/the-bounce\/?source=pulsenewsletter&amp;campaign=9178780&amp;userId=10748855\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n<p>We took the three-day weekend, came back and the Knicks were Eastern Conference champions. They await the winner of the Spurs-Thunder series, which is tied 2-2 in the West. The Thunder took back home court in Game 3, and then the Spurs responded by smacking them in Game 4. Game 5 is tonight in OKC at 8:30 ET on NBC\/Peacock. Don\u2019t worry. We\u2019ll catch you up below if you missed anything.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h3>They\u2019re back!<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Knicks sweep Cavs, head to NBA Finals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfb6 <em>Start spreading the brooms\u2026 The Knicks are sweeping away\u2026 \ud83c\udfb6<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The New York Knicks are <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/53f5ef1acb384f8b9fdbaa083c72e7eb\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">headed back to the NBA Finals<\/a> for the first time since 1999. Last night\u2019s 130-93 drubbing of the Cleveland Cavaliers completed a sweep in which the Knicks were plus-77 for the four-game series. <strong>New York has now won 11 playoff games in a row.<\/strong> Only four other teams in NBA history have done that in a single postseason. The 1999 San Antonio Spurs (12 straight), 2001 Los Angeles Lakers (11), and 2017 Golden State Warriors (15) all won championships using these streaks. Only the 1989 Lakers (11 in a row) failed to win the title.<\/p>\n<p>These Knicks are in rarified air for a bunch of reasons, though.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They have 12 wins by 273 total points. They have two losses by two total points.<\/li>\n<li>They have just one single-digit win (Game 2 against the 76ers by six) in the playoffs.<\/li>\n<li>Their 19.35 playoff point differential is by far the biggest ever.<\/li>\n<li>The record for post-merger (1976-77) playoff point differential belongs to the 2017 Warriors (13.53).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Obviously, the Knicks would still have to beat the Thunder or Spurs in the finals, and even if they did, that would likely reduce their margins. But we simply don\u2019t see this level of dominance in a postseason, even when the East has been weak in certain years.<\/p>\n<div data-ath-video-stream=\"b7k8rZmOe9KrxPe\"><\/div>\n<p>For the second straight round, New York gave itself ample time to rest before its next game. That will be June 3 in either OKC or San Antonio, giving the Knicks eight days off. Everybody will assume that the Spurs or the Thunder will win the title, and the West winner should be the favorite in the finals.<\/p>\n<p>But make no mistake. <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/6b448069429c442c953447a8e0d49dab\">The Knicks can win the NBA championship this year<\/a>. It wouldn\u2019t take some catastrophic injury, either. New York has a good enough offense and a good enough defense to get this done. The team has discovered a new gear during this 11-game win streak.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/1240b8f698c449728e7c5c1a72dead56\">The last time the Knicks made the finals<\/a>, \u201cAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me\u201d and \u201cStar Wars: Episode 1 \u2014 The Phantom Menace\u201d were the top two movies in theaters. Also, people were concerned about Y2K. Now Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and the rest of the Knicks will have the opportunity to win the franchise\u2019s first title since 1973.<\/p>\n<p>And it just might happen.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h3>The last 24<\/h3>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udc7d Extraterrestrial. <\/strong>Victor Wembanyama is just unbelievable.<a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/f85d3aa0a4dc459b9a2c62567e08a702\"> <strong>The Thunder need to be careful<\/strong><\/a><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udcda Read like Wemby. <\/strong>A San Antonio library created reading lists of Wembanyama\u2019s favorite books. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/f369cf9d91f94b9986a59b2bbea0431a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He\u2019s big into science fiction and fantasy genres<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83c\udfc6 Award-winning? <\/strong>A Spurs fan was sitting courtside with a fake Academy Award. <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/f889bb5c2e9f46f99bdf59cb78fb12de\"><strong>She kept offering it to SGA<\/strong><\/a><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83e\udd14 What\u2019s happening? <\/strong>We have the 3-2-1 lottery reform proposal vote this week. <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/033ed4b3d2e048df8c99f47a4919a5dc\"><strong>It would change the value of picks<\/strong><\/a><strong>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udd0a \u201cNBA Daily.\u201d <\/strong>Watch and listen to a recap of last night\u2019s game and a look at <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/z\/c\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/dd6c2ad8bbc24aa19a6bde9216902f2f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">how the Knicks finally got back to the finals.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Stream the NBA on Fubo (<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/z\/c\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/260ef39fd3364ca4bca6a1eea9339559\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">try it for free!<\/a>)<\/em><em>\u00a0and catch out-of-market games on\u00a0<\/em><em><a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/z\/c\/5037\/9d94f1b3f68440d29814a4fa27535fdf\/02c9568cdfc44e5daa8a04c461d6e940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">League Pass<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>New award SZN?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Should the playoffs count toward NBA honors?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Over the weekend, the <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/4ec0a6ee1ec04be7bba538d281e7ee97\/675e405d4795450880ca509fd9ecea5f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">All-NBA and All-Defense teams were announced<\/a>. And there is plenty to debate.<\/p>\n<p>Jaylen Brown said he was grateful for making the All-NBA Second Team, but that he\u2019s surprised he gets any awards because he thinks outside the box and is \u201cnot the most liked.\u201d Translation: He thinks he should have been First Team but won\u2019t say over whom and wants to blame the media (the voters) over the NBA (which was inconsistent in how it made exceptions to the 65-game rule).<\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p>Regardless, the All-NBA and All-Defense teams are big deals. Making them means a potential bump in max salary, as well as a celebration of your season. Let\u2019s recap the teams (in case you missed them) and talk about whether the voting should happen after the playoffs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>All-NBA First Team: <\/strong>Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Joki\u0107, Wembanyama, Luka Don\u010di\u0107 and Cade Cunningham<\/li>\n<li><strong>All-NBA Second Team: <\/strong>Brown, Brunson, Donovan Mitchell, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant<\/li>\n<li><strong>All-NBA Third Team: <\/strong>Jalen Duren, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Johnson, Jamal Murray and Tyrese Maxey<\/li>\n<li><strong>All-Defense First Team: <\/strong>Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Holmgren, Derrick White and Ausar Thompson<\/li>\n<li><strong>All-Defense Second Team: <\/strong>Bam Adebayo, OG Anunoby, Dyson Daniels, Scottie Barnes and Cason Wallace<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen the idea floated that season awards should include the postseason as well. It\u2019s an interesting idea that would also include the most important part of the season. It also might keep people from being rewarded if they have a bad playoff performance.<\/p>\n<p>Look at the All-NBA Third Team selections. Duren, Johnson and Murray had miserable postseasons. Holmgren has been borderline unplayable in the conference finals when Wemby is on the floor, which is most of the time. <strong>Would these have affected the voting process for the Third Team? Maybe!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Some people wondered if Kon Knueppel\u2019s miserable Play-In performance affected his Rookie of the Year results, because the ballots came out after his horrendous first game that week. Wemby has been borderline transcendent during the playoff run. Would that have impacted where he finished in MVP voting? Could he have stolen votes from SGA? Would Joki\u0107 have finished second in MVP after the way Gobert handled him in the first round?<\/p>\n<p>The NBA loves to cling to certain aspects of traditionalism. The league has added NBA Cups and Play-In Tournaments but has refused to change the playoffs to conference-less, 1-through-16 orders. But maybe this would add a new level to the awards and how they\u2019re viewed?<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the league would probably need to alter or abolish the 65-game rule to do this. So I guess multiple good and fun things could come from this idea.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3>Big summer plans?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Cleveland needs some changes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When a team gets eliminated in the postseason, I havegot a whole template to get you ready for their offseason. And we\u2019re going to get to that in a minute. However, the Cavaliers are in a weird position. This was the first time they made it to the conference finals since 2018. That\u2019s the last time LeBron James resided in Cleveland as a member of the team.<\/p>\n<p>It took some big moves to bring them back here:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>They stole Jarrett Allen in a trade involving James Harden to another team.<\/li>\n<li>They drafted Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.<\/li>\n<li>They took a big swing on Mitchell, even though it was presumed he wanted to be in a massive market like New York.<\/li>\n<li>They traded Garland for Harden at the deadline.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There were other moves, too, but those were the biggest plays by Koby Altman. <strong>And yet \u2026 I\u2019m not sure at any point, aside from their 64-win season last year, that the Cavs looked like they could actually compete for a title.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kenny Atkinson made the ridiculous claim before Game 4 that <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/4ec0a6ee1ec04be7bba538d281e7ee97\/7e67849f47fd4e9d8fdd51d1b38facdc\">they were up 2-1 in the series analytically<\/a>. They weren\u2019t. Harden said after the sweep that he believes Cleveland has the better team. Delusion is a killer in the NBA. The Cavs believe they are right there with the best in the league. They are not.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid4\" data-position=\"mid4\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong><em>OK, now let\u2019s say goodbye \u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Was this the expected outcome?<\/strong> Pretty much. Knicks in four or five was always the most likely result.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who are the Cavs\u2019 big free agents?<\/strong> Harden ($42.3m player option), Dean Wade, Keon Ellis, Larry Nance Jr., Thomas Bryant<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the draft situation?<\/strong> Cleveland\u2019s first-round pick (23rd) goes to the Hawks. The Cavs get San Antonio\u2019s first (29th), while their second-round pick (52nd) goes to the Clippers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the pressing need?<\/strong> A hard look in the mirror. This is a team that has underperformed for three of the last four years. With the state of the East this season, the Cavs should have been a top two team. They weren\u2019t in the regular season. They ended up one by default in the playoffs.<\/p>\n<p>This team can easily get fooled by its placement in the conference finals and think progress was made. I would vehemently disagree with that. With the Pacers likely to bounce back next season, <strong>I\u2019d be shocked if the Cavs had anything close to this postseason success again. <\/strong>And this summer is complicated for them.<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<p>They have Mitchell\u2019s extension situation this July. They need reliable wings. They should probably decide between Mobley and Allen, unless Mobley can find a new gear to make him a top big man in this league. Also, Harden will be looking for an extension. Woof.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Overall grade for the Cavs\u2019 season:<\/strong> B (since they made the conference finals).<\/p>\n<p>Our Joe Vardon has a deeper look at <a href=\"https:\/\/links.e1.nytimes.com\/a\/zc\/5037\/4ec0a6ee1ec04be7bba538d281e7ee97\/915ed5fae866454f973e0e511ed24915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the decisions Cleveland faces this offseason<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. We took the three-day weekend, came back and the Knicks were Eastern Conference champions. They await the winner of the Spurs-Thunder series, which is tied 2-2 in the West. The Thunder took back [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1955894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1955894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1955894\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1955894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1955894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1955894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}