From Laughingstock to Contender: Knicks’ Road Back to the Finals

Hope returns to Madison Square Garden as Knicks head to finals  

New York sweeps Cleveland to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, with fans and celebrities rallying behind a 53-year title chase.

Led by Jalen Brunson and backed by a star-studded fan base, the Knicks aim to end a five-decade championship drought as underdogs.

 

New York Knicks fans who’ve endured years of disappointment woke up Tuesday still riding the high from a night of celebration. Their team had just booked a place in the NBA Finals, where they’ll go in as underdogs no matter the opponent, as they try to end a 53-year wait for a championship.

Blue and orange took over New York City streets late into Monday night after the Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 to make the Finals for the first time since 1999.

Brooms were everywhere, with fans using them to sweep sidewalks and wave in the air as part of the festivities. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined in on X, posting, “@NYCSanitation I'd like to report a sweep.”

How the Knicks Turned It Around

Years of losing finally started to shift for the NBA’s third-most-valuable franchise when team president Leon Rose arrived in March 2020. He took over just as the Knicks were sliding toward a seventh straight season without a playoff berth.

From Punchline to Playoff Regulars

Under Rose, New York went from being the league’s joke to a real contender. The Knicks have missed the postseason only once in the last six years, and in 2025 they made it to the Eastern Conference finals before falling to Indiana in six games.

Jalen Brunson, named this year’s Eastern Conference Finals MVP, has been the engine since joining four years ago. The front office has built the roster around him, adding players like six-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to fit the core.

“It's a magical thing, it's a historic thing,” Knicks centre Karl-Anthony Towns said after scoring a team-high 19 points in the clinching game in Cleveland. “It's something New York ‌has been dying for, for a long, long time.” 

“But for ⁠us as players, we understand that the job's ‌not done.”

“Growing up in the (New York) area, I feel like the word ‘hope’ has been gone from the New York Knicks name for a long time,” said Towns. “To be part of this team that revives hope is something special.”

The Knicks’ run to the championship round creates a compelling storyline for the best-of-seven NBA Finals.

New York hasn’t won a title since 1973, and this marks only their third Finals appearance in that span, following losses in 1994 and 1999.

Celebrity Fans Turn Out as Knicks Return to the Finals

Despite winning 11 straight in these playoffs, the Knicks head into the Finals as underdogs. They’ll face either NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, or a San Antonio Spurs squad led by French star Victor Wembanyama.

GO NEW YORK GO!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/rKskHTc91H

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 26, 2026

Their return to the championship round is already pulling in the usual lineup of high-profile celebrity supporters.

Filmmaker and lifelong Knicks fan Spike Lee, wearing orange glasses, sat courtside on Monday to film the team receiving the Eastern Conference trophy.

.@RealChalamet is the knicks’ biggest hype man 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Xs1CKtKSXV

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 26, 2026

Four-time Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet joined the celebrations with the players, while actor Ben Stiller was also courtside. Comedian Tracy Morgan was visibly emotional as he took in the win from the front row.

From regular fans to Hollywood’s biggest names, the Knicks will have the backing of the whole city as they look to break a 50-year championship drought.

.@RealChalamet is the knicks’ biggest hype man 🤝 pic.twitter.com/Xs1CKtKSXV

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) May 26, 2026