Tipsheet

The Cleveland Cavaliers Couldn't Admit This Simple Fact After Getting Crushed by the Knicks

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  May 29, 2026 11:45 PM

Look, political news comes first, but I had to circle back to this: On Monday, the New York Knicks secured their spot in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 by defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93. It marked a complete sweep for New York in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

The Knicks have been dominant this playoff run, simply unstoppable. The point differential heading into the Finals is the highest in NBA history. It's not a fluke either: the East, as some noted, had a 60-win Detroit team, a Sixers team that beat the Boston Celtics in seven games, and an Atlanta Hawks squad that went on an 18-2 run in the second half of the regular season. The Knicks are elite, and they’ve bulldozed their way to clinch the East. 

Cleveland, you got your asses kicked. The series was over when the Knicks went on a 44-11 run in the fourth quarter of game one to complete an incredible comeback that the Cavaliers could never recover from. After their blowout, it would’ve been nice for them to admit one simple fact: New York was the better team. You got crushed. So, I don’t want to hear, ‘if we won both game sixes in the first and second rounds, we would’ve beaten New York,’ as Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said in the post-game press conference. This coach also said that his team beat the Knicks analytically in two-out-of-three games heading into their game four slaughter. 

Kenny, that’s delusional. So was James Harden’s remark that he felt Cleveland was the better team. You were not. First, in game four, Cleveland simply gave up after the first quarter. Second, if your entire strategy for beating the Knicks relies on making three-point shots, that’s not a good plan. Third, there was nothing you could do to match the Knicks offensively or defensively. New York also had more depth; Cleveland’s bench was terrible. They tried to take Jalen Brunson out of the game. Fine, Brunson had a night with assists, which also left Josh Hart open to have a record playoff performance. And that’s the point: this starting lineup can beat you in many ways, and credit goes to coach Mike Brown — the guys finally bought into it. 

Everyone is overlooking New York, thinking the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs is the real championship series. That’s no longer the case. The Knicks can hang with anyone, and if they continue to play like this, they can beat anyone, too. OKC and the Spurs look tired, and now the injuries are piling up.

It should still be a great series, no matter who wins the West. I’m not afraid of either team. 

Let’s go, Knicks, your 2026 Eastern Conference Champions! 

Four more wins, fellas.