The Oklahoma City Thunder went 8-0 to stamp their ticket back to the conference finals, where their playoff winning streak came to an end in a 122-115 Game 1 overtime loss to the Spurs. During the first two rounds, their dominance gave them extra rest as they waited to see who they would face next, but that's no longer the case, not after the Knicks swept the Cavaliers on Monday.
New York hasn't lost since Game 3 of the first round against Atlanta, on April 23. The Knicks finished that series in six games, swept the Sixers in the semifinals, and then did the same to the Cavaliers — winning 11 straight.
They'll have over a week off, with Game 1 of the NBA Finals set for Wednesday, June 3, as they wait to see who comes out of the West.
Oklahoma City or San Antonio will get a few days off before the finals, even if the series goes to a Game 7 on Saturday, but New York will be the fresher, better-rested team.
Knicks are waiting to see if they'll face Thunder in NBA Finals
New York had a slight (times a million) advantage over OKC and San Antonio, and it was facing a defeated Cleveland team in the conference finals. It's not just that the Cavaliers had to make it past two Game 7s in the first couple of rounds, but that they weren't a match for the Knicks from the start. Or, they were for the first three quarters of Game 1, but that was it.
Cleveland let New York come back from a 22-point deficit with less than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 1 to win by 11 points in overtime. There was no way for the Cavaliers to come back from that, and they didn't.
The West is the superior conference, so the Knicks' next opponent won't compare to the Hawks, Sixers, or Cavaliers, but that doesn't mean that OKC (or San Antonio) should underestimate this New York team. For the second time in the playoffs, they're enjoying over a week of rest, relaxation, and preparation for what's coming. That'd be especially nice for Jalen Williams right about now.
Hopefully, the Thunder are what's coming for the Knicks, but it will take at least two more games to decide that.
Oklahoma City is very much capable of making it past San Antonio in a six or seven-game series to win the NBA Finals. Still, the team won't feel nearly as refreshed as they did after the first two rounds (and not as refreshed as the Knicks), having faced Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. At least New York's best player is six-foot-two.
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