Basketball
New York Knicks Make The NBA Finals: Fun Facts Ahead Of First Championship Bid Since 1973
A Finals appearance seemed like a longshot for the New York Knicks when they fell 2-1 down to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round but they got the job done – and William Hill News assess their chances of winning the NBA Championship.
Since then, the Knicks have won a historic 11 games on the bounce to ensure Finals hoops will be played at Madison Square Garden for the first time this millennium.
Knicks Odds To Win Championship:
- New York Knicks are priced at 13/8 to win the 2026 NBA title at William Hill
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the standout facts and statistics relating to the Knicks and their chances of clinching the 2026 NBA Championship title.
Knicks Haven’t Won the Title in 53 Years (1973)
Yes, it’s over half a century since the Knicks won an NBA championship. New York has been among the NBA betting favourites in each of the last couple of seasons.
Despite being fancied to make a deep run, this season marked only their second Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 1999.
Knicks Last Made the NBA Finals in 1999
The world was a different place when the Knicks were last in the NBA Finals. LeBron James was four years from being drafted. Jalen Brunson, the Knick with the shortest Finals MVP odds, was a few months from celebrating his third birthday.
Only four Eastern Conference teams – the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls – had a longer Finals drought.
Knicks Are Riding Third-Longest Playoff Winning Streak in NBA History (11 games)
There was some legitimate concern about the Knicks when they were getting cooked by CJ McCollum at the start of the first round.
The 1999 San Antonio Spurs and the 2017 Golden State Warriors are the only franchises to have bettered the Knicks’ winning streak – New York made light work of the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals and finals, respectively.
Even though the Knicks are legitimate history makers, they will be underdogs in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Best 11-Game Point Differential in NBA History (Regular Season or Playoffs)
It’s not just been the fact the Knicks have been winning. Seven of the 11 have been by 15 or more points.
This is a dominant run that we’ve literally never seen before in NBA history. It’s not come against some tankers after the All-Star break – Atlanta was legitimate competitive for three games, the Sixers knocked out Boston, and Cleveland had four All-Stars.
Landry Shamet Shot 91.7% From 3 in the Conference Finals
No one will be picking Landry Shamet for Finals MVP (and it would be absolutely wild if they did), but Shamet deserves credit for his role in the Knicks’ run.
Sure, the starting five and Mitchell Robinson have done most of the work, but Shamet shooting 91.7% from deep across 79 minutes is a hilarious stat.
Jalen Brunson’s Dad Was on the Team the Last Time the Knicks Made the Finals
Rick Brunson was a bench player on the 1999 NBA Finalist New York Knicks. “If You Had My Love” by Jennifer Lopez was number one in the charts in the United States and Star Wars: Episode I, The Phantom Menace was sitting atop the box office charts.
Tony Blair had been the UK’s Prime Minister for little over two years. Manchester United had just completed the treble, The Mummy had been in cinemas for a few weeks, and SpongeBob had recently debuted on Nickelodeon.
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
