Knicks finish sweep of Cavs, make first NBA Finals since 1999

The New York Knicks crushed the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 in Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Monday to complete a 4-0 sweep and advance to the NBA Finals.

Jalen Brunson was named Eastern Conference finals MVP. He finished with 15 points and five assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 19 points and 14 rebounds. OG Anunoby had 17 points, and Landry Shamet came off the bench to score 16 on 4-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc.

This will be the Knicks' first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years. Their opponent will be the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, who are tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 on Tuesday.

The Knicks led 38-26 after the first quarter, and seized full control with a 20-0 second-quarter run, taking a 68-49 advantage into halftime. The Knicks continued to dominate after the break and led by as many as 45 points.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 31 points, while James Harden had 12 points and two assists and Evan Mobley posted 15 points and seven rebounds. It was the first time in Harden's career that he had been swept in a playoff series.

Since a 109-108 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on April 24, the Knicks have reeled off 11 straight playoff wins, with an average margin of victory of 23.8 points.

New York has outscored its opponents by an average of 19.4 points per game in the playoffs this season, the highest margin among teams that have reached the NBA Finals. The previous record was held by the 2017 Golden State Warriors, who outscored opponents by 16.3 points per game en route to the Finals.