Once upon a time, the Knicks trailed in a series this postseason. That was after Game 3 of New York’s first-round series against the Hawks where Atlanta took a 2–1 lead when CJ McCollum played spoiler to a late comeback from the Knicks.
At that point, it looked like the Knicks may become victim to a trendy upset pick as they ran into a Hawks team who turned it on and became one of the NBA’s best teams after the All-Star break. Anyone who had that thought now feels silly as the Knicks have now won 10 straight playoff games and are just one win away from the franchise’s first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999.
This current Knicks run saw them get past Atlanta after a rocky start to the series, sweep the 76ers in the second round and now get out to a 3–0 lead on the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. It’s only the 10th time that a team has won 10 or more games straight in a single playoff run. When you win that many games in the playoffs, the verge of the NBA Finals is the absolute floor.
That puts the Knicks in the same company as some of the NBA’s best teams ever. Should New York pull off its second sweep in a row with a victory over Cleveland in Game 4 on Monday, it will be tied for the fourth longest playoff win streak in NBA history. Each team that’s won 11 or more playoff games in a row made it to the NBA Finals. Let’s take a look into how they fared.
How each team that’s bested the Knicks’ 10-game playoff win streak ended its postseason
The worst result from a team who won 10 straight playoff games came from the 2012 Spurs who started their playoff run 10–0 before losing four straight to Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. That means each of the eight other teams who won 10 straight in the playoffs went to the NBA Finals. The Knicks can become the ninth barring a sudden and historic collapse to the Cavs.
Should New York eliminate the Cavs on Monday, the win streak would be at 11 straight, which only four other teams have met or exceeded. No team has gone a perfect 16–0 over the playoffs, but the 2016–17 Warriors came awfully close with 15-straight wins before they dropped Game 4 of the NBA Finals to the Cavs before finishing the job in five games.
Each team that won 11 consecutive playoff games made the Finals, with only one coming up short of a championship once all was said and done. Here’s a look at how each team that matched or eclipsed the Knicks’ current 10-game postseason win streak finished its run:
| YEAR | TEAM | WIN STREAK | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Warriors | 15 | Won Finals |
| 1999 | Spurs | 12 | Won Finals |
| 2001 | Lakers | 11 | Won Finals |
| 1989 | Lakers | 11 | Lost Finals |
| 2024 | Celtics | 10 | Won Finals |
| 2017 | Cavaliers | 10 | Lost Finals |
| 2016 | Cavaliers | 10 | Won Finals |
| 2012 | Spurs | 10 | Lost WCF |
| 2003 | Nets | 10 | Lost Finals |
| 2026 | Knicks | 10 | TBD |
On a historic run that looks destined for the NBA Finals, the Knicks would then have to topple one of the Western Conference powerhouses: the Thunder or the Spurs. With how good Oklahoma City and San Antonio look, New York certainly doesn’t have an easy road ahead to become the next team to hit a double-digit playoff win streak before it hoists the Larry O’Brien trophy. However, even if the Knicks drew a seventh-seeded Sixers team and a flawed Cavs squad on their way to the NBA Finals, you can’t dismiss this incredible postseason run in which New York has dismantled its competition.
Entering the playoffs, it wasn’t clear which Eastern Conference squad had the best chance to put up a fight against whichever power that makes it out of the West. The Knicks have proven they are the Eastern Conference’s best team in resounding fashion. Now we just need to see what Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns & Co. do the rest of the way.
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