The Knicks Swept Us. Now I Have to Watch Them Chase a Ring.
Good morning from my couch of pain, Cleveland.
It’s been 11 days since the New York Knicks put our Cavaliers out of their misery with a 130-93 Game 4 beatdown at Rocket Arena — Knicks fans loudly chanting “Knicks in four!” while outnumbering Cleveland fans in our own building. If you listened closely, you could hear the collective sigh of a city that’s been doing this since, well, forever.
Donovan Mitchell had 31 points in that final game, but Cleveland was swept in a postseason series for the first time since the 2018 NBA Finals against Golden State. Because of course it was a sweep. Because Cleveland.
And now? Now the team that steamrolled us is in the NBA Finals, and tonight is Game 2. I am legally obligated to watch. I am emotionally incapable of enjoying it. Let’s preview this thing anyway.
Series Status: Knicks Lead 1-0
Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and the New York Knicks erased a 14-point second-half deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-95 in Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center.
The Knicks closed the game on an 11-0 run, holding San Antonio to just 14 fourth-quarter points, its worst output in any quarter this postseason. Sound familiar, Cavs fans? These Knicks just keep coming at you in waves. New York has now won 12 consecutive playoff games.
Game 2 Details: Knicks at Spurs — Tonight
- Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
- TV: ABC
- Radio: ESPN Radio — Marc Kestecher on play-by-play alongside Doris Burke and P.J. Carlesimo, with Jorge Sedano reporting
- Streaming: Also available to stream on the ESPN App
Key Storylines: Why I Can’t Look Away (and Can’t Stop Wincing)
The Knicks’ Buzzsaw Won’t Stop Buzzing. The Knicks stormed through the Eastern Conference, winning 11 consecutive games by an average of 23.8 points to reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. I watched four of those wins up close and personal. They were operating on a different level than our Cavs. It hurts to admit, but this team is legitimately terrifying. The Knicks have won 11 straight postseason games and are peaking at the absolute right time.
Wemby’s Bounce-Back Game. The single biggest story heading into Game 2 is Wembanyama’s mental and physical response to the worst field-goal shooting performance of his career on the biggest stage. He shot 6-of-21 from the field in Game 1, showing all the symptoms of a player who ran out of gas after a grueling seven-game series with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. But the kid is 22 years old and already the Defensive Player of the Year. The best thing about this postseason has been watching him respond — expect Wembanyama to come out with something to prove tonight.
The Spurs’ Desperation Factor. The Spurs didn’t sound like they were hitting the panic button after Game 1 — and even near the end, they still held a 2-point lead with less than two minutes to go before the Knicks’ 11-0 run sent fans heading to the exits. If the Spurs want to avoid heading to the Mecca in an 0-2 hole, they’ll need to flip the script tonight in Game 2.
Mike Brown’s Revenge Tour (Against Cleveland, Apparently). Yes, the Knicks’ head coach who swept us is making his second trip to the Finals as a coach — his last trip was with Cleveland in 2007. Mike Brown. Leading the team that just destroyed us. Coaching against San Antonio in the Finals. The irony is so thick you could spread it on a pierogi.
Players to Watch
- Jalen Brunson, NYK: He went just 12/31 from the field overall in Game 1, but he was 5/9 in the 4th quarter, scoring 13 of his 30 points when it mattered most. Brunson is a closer. I saw it firsthand when he carved us up in the ECF. He does not care about your feelings.
- Karl-Anthony Towns, NYK: Towns’ stifling defense on Wembanyama was a key aspect of the Game 1 win. Towns scored 10 of his 17 third-quarter points driving directly at the rim with the defensive anchor removed. He’s a problem on both ends.
- Josh Hart, NYK: Hart scored just three points but grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out six assists and corralled four steals. The man is everywhere. He’s the kind of player Cleveland fans appreciate — all effort, all grit, all the time.
- Victor Wembanyama, SAS: He’s had an eventful postseason, with moments ranging from the historical — an NBA record 12 blocks in Game 1 against Minnesota — to the flat-out ridiculous, including a 40/20 Game 1 against OKC and picking up his first Game 7 victory on the road. A bounce-back feels inevitable.
- Dylan Harper, SAS: Harper became the youngest player to score at least 10 points in an NBA Finals game in just his first 6 minutes of play. He finished with 16 points, but De’Aaron Fox’s struggles (3-13, 7 points) make Harper’s minutes in the fourth quarter tonight a key storyline.
- Stephon Castle, SAS: The Spurs will return the same starting lineup of De’Aaron Fox, Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie and Wembanyama. Castle’s defensive versatility will be critical against New York’s multi-faceted attack.
The View From Cleveland: Bitter, Honest, and Still Watching
Look, I’m going to be real with you. Watching the Knicks in the NBA Finals after what they did to us stings like lake-effect wind in January. The Cavs never recovered from that Game 1 collapse — blowing a 22-point lead — and their season ended with four straight double-digit defeats. That’s a wound that won’t heal by June.
But here’s the thing about being a Cleveland sports fan: we know good basketball when we see it. These Knicks play with such precision and good knowledge of one another — they’re tough but not flagrant, and the personalities of the players are infectious. I hate that I respect them. I respect that I hate them.
And the Spurs? San Antonio is back in the Finals looking for a sixth title with a young roster built through the draft and timely trading. This series should determine an ending or a beginning — the end of the Knicks’ 53-year championship dry spell, or the possible launch of the second San Antonio Spurs dynasty. Wembanyama is a generational force, and part of me — the part that isn’t drowning in Cleveland-specific sorrow — would love to see the kid go supernova tonight.
Because if the Knicks win this championship on the back of sweeping my Cavaliers? That means we were a speed bump on a historic run. And being a speed bump is somehow worse than being a legitimate opponent who lost. At least the Spurs took OKC to seven games. We got swept like dust bunnies under a Manhattan apartment radiator.
So tonight, I’ll crack open a Great Lakes Burning River, settle into my recliner, and root for… chaos, mostly. Good basketball. A seven-game series. Maybe a Wemby 50-piece. Anything to prove that the Knicks are mortal, that our Cavs weren’t as far away as that 130-93 score suggested.
Game 3 shifts to New York on Monday, June 8, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. If San Antonio can steal one tonight, this series gets very interesting. If they can’t? Well, Cleveland fans know what it feels like to watch a team roll through a playoff bracket like it’s playing a different sport. We watched LeBron do it to the East for years. We just never expected to be on the wrong end of one.
Tip-off is tonight at 8:30 on ABC. Go watch. I’ll be here, grimacing through every Brunson crossover, muttering about what could have been, and reminding myself that 2016 really did happen.
— Kevin McCormick is the Cavaliers beat writer for CLE Leader. He is fine. Everything is fine.
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