The New York Knicks are going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Jalen Brunson and company swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight games to close out the Eastern Conference Finals, extending their winning streak to 11 games and completing one of the most dominant postseason runs in NBA history. Through 14 playoff games, New York owns a +19.4 points-per-game differential — the largest ever recorded by a team entering the NBA Finals, surpassing the 2017 Golden State Warriors’ mark of +16.3.
The Knicks are currently priced at 3.21 to win the championship on Cloudbet. Oklahoma City, the defending champions, are 1.61. San Antonio — who trail Oklahoma City 3-2 in the Western Conference Finals with Game 6 in San Antonio on Friday — are 6.87. The Finals begin June 3.
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How New York Got Here
In the first round against Atlanta, the Knicks dropped Games 2 and 3 — one at home, one in Atlanta — to fall behind 2-1. What followed was a statement: three straight wins, the last of which was a 140-89 Game 6 demolition that broke the NBA playoff record for largest halftime lead in postseason history. New York led 83-36 at the break. The final margin of 51 points was a franchise playoff record and the sixth-largest winning margin in postseason history.
The second round against Philadelphia was a four-game sweep. The Knicks’ 19.4 points-per-game differential across the first two rounds was the largest since the playoffs expanded to 16 teams in 1984. Joel Embiid, dealing with hip and ankle injuries that ruled him out of Game 2 entirely, managed 24 in the series-closing Game 4. The Knicks hit 25 three-pointers that night, tying the NBA playoff record.
The Eastern Conference Finals opened with one of the great moments of the postseason. Trailing by 22 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1, Brunson scored 17 of his 38 points in the final 12 minutes and overtime to lead a 44-11 run — only the second comeback from 22 or more points down in a fourth quarter in NBA playoff history. New York won 115-104 in overtime. Games 2, 3 and 4 were won by 16, 13 and 37 points respectively, with Brunson sitting out the entire fourth quarter of the clincher.
Across all three rounds the Knicks went 11-1, their only loss coming in Game 3 against Atlanta. All but one win came by double digits. They averaged 122.9 points per game across the 11-game winning streak — the highest-scoring such stretch in a single postseason since the 1985 Showtime Lakers.
The Western Conference Picture — and What Happens Tonight
Before the Knicks know their Finals opponent, there is still basketball to be played. Oklahoma City lead San Antonio 3-2, with Game 6 in San Antonio on Friday, May 29 (8:30am AEST). The Spurs are favoured at home — currently 1.63 on the moneyline against OKC at 2.35 — with the spread sitting at SA -3.5 (1.94) and the total set at 219. A San Antonio win forces a Game 7 back in Oklahoma City on Saturday.
OKC are the defending champions. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won Finals MVP last year as the Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games, finishing that regular season 68-14. This year they went 64-18. In Game 5, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points to help the Thunder take control of the series.
San Antonio finished 62-20, the second-best record in the conference. Victor Wembanyama has averaged 30.3 points and 13.3 rebounds across the WCF, and the Spurs have shown they can beat OKC at home — winning Game 1 in double overtime and blowing the Thunder out by 21 in Game 4. The series is not over.
Both teams finished with better regular season records than the Knicks (53-29), which means the Western Conference winner hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 of the Finals. New York hosts Games 3, 4 and 6 at Madison Square Garden.
What the Championship Odds Actually Mean
Oklahoma City at 1.61 carries roughly 62% implied probability of winning the title. New York at 3.21 carries around 31%. That gap reflects what it means to face a defending champion, largely on the road, in a seven-game series.
Against San Antonio at 6.87, the market is telling a different story entirely — the Spurs are priced as significant underdogs against both the Knicks and the implied Finals favourite. A Knicks-Spurs Finals would also carry a notable subplot: New York already beat San Antonio this season, defeating them in the NBA Cup final in December.
The Finals odds will reprice at two clear points: when the Western Conference series concludes and the matchup is set, and after Game 1 of the Finals itself. First-game results carry outsized influence on series pricing in basketball. A dominant Brunson performance in the opener moves the Knicks’ number faster and further than almost any other single variable.
Jalen Brunson and Why He’s the Number to Watch
Brunson is 29, born August 31, 1996, and has been the central variable in everything the Knicks have done since arriving from Dallas in 2022. His game is built on footwork, timing and shot creation in contested space — not athleticism or highlight plays. Those qualities hold up across a long playoff run better than flash does.
He was named unanimous ECF MVP after averaging 25.5 points, 7.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game against Cleveland, shooting 48.7% from the floor. Game 1 alone — 38 points, a 22-point deficit erased, a game-tying basket with 19 seconds left in regulation — would define most players’ postseason careers. For Brunson it was one game of four. Over his first 12 playoff games he averaged 27.6 points per game, posting a plus-minus no player in NBA history has matched over a nine-game postseason stretch.
On the Finals MVP market, Brunson sits at 3.71 — behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at 1.74, who is priced as the overwhelming favourite assuming OKC get through. If San Antonio advance, Wembanyama at 7.54 becomes the name to watch. Karl-Anthony Towns is next for the Knicks at 16.0, reflecting the depth New York can draw on if Brunson is successfully schemed against.
Every team the Knicks have faced this postseason built their defensive scheme specifically around limiting Brunson. Atlanta tried. Philadelphia tried. Cleveland tried. None of it produced a series win. In a Finals context, his output from game to game will be the primary variable that moves the in-series line.
The Basketball Betting Market Going Into the Finals
Across Cloudbet’s basketball markets in 2026, match winner betting accounts for 35% of all volume — the straight game result, no margin required. Point spread betting follows at 23%, for bettors where the winning margin matters as much as the outcome. Points totals — the over/under on combined scoring — account for 19%. Together, those three markets cover more than three-quarters of all basketball betting volume across tens of thousands of bets on the platform.
The remaining share splits between custom and speculative bets at 8%, quarter points totals at 6%, and quarter result markets at 4%. These attract experienced basketball bettors who follow rotations, pacing and coaching tendencies closely enough to find an edge on intra-game lines.
NBA Finals volume runs higher across every category. The biggest proportional jump comes in match winner betting, as new and casual bettors engage with the occasion rather than the detail. For New York’s first Finals appearance in 27 years, that uplift will run well above a typical baseline.
The Finals format — up to seven games across two-plus weeks — creates multiple distinct betting cycles within a single series. Each game generates its own opening line, its own in-play market, and its own reaction to the result the night before. Brunson’s performance, the Western Conference matchup, and New York’s historic run all feed into a market that will stay active from the first tip-off to the final buzzer.
Cloudbet has full NBA Finals markets live, plus Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals on Friday.
