The New York Knicks won handily, 121-108, on Saturday night at Rocket Arena, going up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now facing an elimination game on Monday night.The Knicks have won 10 games in a row, with their only two postseason losses in Games 2 and 3 of the first round. They are -130 favorites to win Game 4 and advance to the NBA Finals, a little over an implied 56 percent likelihood.Their odds to advance to the finals, whether they win Game 4 or not, are what you might call astronomically shorter: -10000, or an over 99 percent chance. Teams facing a 0-3 hole in the NBA playoffs have never come back to win it.The Cavs, with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce looking on, seemed like a team without steam on Friday night. Can they rally?Game 4: Knicks at Cavaliers
TV: ESPNTime: 8 p.m. ET, MondaySeries odds: Knicks -10000, Cavaliers +2200The Knicks have looked like a team of destiny over the last 10 games as they make their bid to clinch a finals berth for the first time since 1999. With a physicality and pace that Cleveland can’t seem to keep up with, New York put up a balanced effort in their Game 3 win, which is a measured way of saying “everybody was on fire.”Jalen Brunson led the team with 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting (though 0-4 from 3), with three boards and six assists. Mikal Bridges clinched 22 points, OG Anunoby added 21 points and seven boards, while Karl-Anthony Towns was just a bit short of a triple-double with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Landry Shamet added 14 points off the bench.According to The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III, the Knicks are on pace to be the most efficient postseason shooting team since the Lakers in 1987 (minimum one round played).Cleveland, meanwhile, hasn’t been able to keep a game close since blowing a 22-point lead in Game 1. That Knicks comeback seems to have taken the wind out of the Cavs’ sails. Cleveland ranked among the top 10 in 3-pointers made during the regular season; last night, they shot 12-of-41 from 3-point range at home.The Cavs simply looked gassed. They also might not be totally healthy, with Donovan Mitchell continuing to seem not his usual self despite Kenny Atkinson insisting he is fine. Mitchell did get 23 points on Saturday night, but was 3-of-10 from 3 and still didn’t have his usual explosiveness. James Harden, who did his part to help power the Cavs through the first two rounds, has almost been a non-entity in the conference finals.In the words of The Athletic’s Jason Lloyd: “Fatigue certainly seems to have been an issue throughout this series with the Knicks and was on display again in Game 3. The Cavs looked lethargic, the building lacked energy because the home team gave them nothing to cheer for and now this erratic, inconsistent season could come to an end Monday night.”History says the Knicks will be in the finals. Can Cleveland make the trip a bit harder on them?May 24, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
