Josh Hart speaks after the Knicks run their win streak to ten games.
The New York Knicks are one win away from the NBA Finals after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Knicks lead the series 3-0, and go punch their ticket to the Finals with one more victory on Monday.
New York has ran through the Eastern Conference during these playoffs, losing just two games, both to the Atlanta Hawks in round one, by one point each.
Since losing game three against the Hawks, the Knicks have rattled off ten straight victories. They handled the Hawks in games four through six, swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round, and have won the first three games against the Cavaliers.
Josh Hart Speaks
After the game, Knicks guard Josh Hart was asked if it was surreal to win ten straight playoff games.
Hart replied, "Nah. We don't think about it that way. We're 1-0 today. Monday, we're 0-0. We're far from our goal."
The Knicks are closer to their goal than they are further away, just five wins away from lifting the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Of course, they still have to finish off the Cavaliers before they can think of reaching their final destination, and then they will have to deal with the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, the two best teams in the regular season.
Hart's mindset is the correct approach, though. As Kobe Bryant famously said, "Job's not done."
The Knicks Streak
Not only are the Knicks winning games, they are dominating games.
Of their 11 playoff victories, ten have come by double digits. They have an average marigin of victory of 18 points. During the ten game win streak, that average jumps to 22.5 points.
Aside from game three against the Sixers and game one against the Cavaliers, none of the ten games have felt competitive. The Sixers threatened in game three with their season on the line being down 0-2, the Cavaliers led by 22 points with eight minutes to go in game one before losing by double digits in overtime.
Otherwise, the Knicks have ran teams off the floor, shooting 53% from the field and 40% from three. They have the best offensive rating at 126.4 and the best defensive rating at 103.1. They also have the best rebounding percentage of the any team in the playoffs, and the best assist percentage of any team left.
The team is firing on all cylinders, and by the looks of things, they aren't going to be challenged until the Finals.
