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The Knicks are the East favorites in the sportsbooks and suddenly look like it on the court

On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the New York Knicks emerged as Eastern Conference favorites after winning four consecutive playoff games by a combined 135 points, positioning the team for its first NBA Finals appearance since 2000.
After rebounding against the Atlanta Hawks in their first-round series, the Knicks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 on Monday, becoming the first team to win three straight postseason games by at least 25 points.
Forward OG Anunoby is shooting 63.8% overall, while Jalen Brunson averages 27.6 points per game and center Karl-Anthony Towns provides 10.6 rebounds, fueling the dominant offensive and defensive performance.
Coach Mike Brown noted the team has "room to grow," while forward Josh Hart dismissed the favorite label, saying it "means literally nothing" based on past playoff comebacks.
With the Boston Celtics eliminated from contention, New York is positioned to reach its first NBA Finals since 2000, though the team trails only the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in overall title odds.

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The Knicks try to maintain peak performance in the East semifinals

After the Knicks’ 137-98 demolition of the Philadelphia 76ers Monday night at Madison Square Garden in game one of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals pairing, the Knicks entered game two at the Garden on Wednesday night as the betting favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals. Sports gaming companies putting the No. 3 seed Knicks above the No. 7 seed 76ers, No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons, and No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers was …

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