Published Tuesday 26 May 2026, 3:45pm AEST · The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals. A 130-93 demolition of the Cavaliers in Cleveland closes the series 4-1 and books New York’s first Finals appearance since 1999. Plus Carolina reclaim their NHL East Finals series with a Game 3 win in Montreal.
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The first ticket to the 2026 NBA Finals has been punched — and it belongs to New York. The Knicks went into Cleveland, dismantled the Cavaliers 130-93, and closed out the Eastern Conference Finals 4-1. It’s the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance in 27 years, and they did it without ever really being pushed. Plus the NHL East Finals tilted back to Carolina with a 3-2 road win in Montreal. Here’s the full Tuesday wrap.
On this page
- Today’s results
- The Knicks are in the NBA Finals
- Hurricanes 3, Canadiens 2 — Carolina retake control
- What’s next — Spurs vs Thunder G5 tomorrow
- The 2026 NBA Finals — what we know
Today’s results
| League | Result | Series |
|---|---|---|
| NBA | Knicks 130, Cavaliers 93 (East Finals G4) | NYK win series 4-1 — advance to NBA Finals |
| NHL | Hurricanes 3, Canadiens 2 (East Finals G3) | CAR lead 2-1 |
The Knicks are in the NBA Finals — first time since 1999
For 27 years, that sentence has been one of the longest droughts in American professional sport. Today it ends. New York went into Cleveland — a hostile arena, a team coming off a Game 3 win, a chance for the Cavaliers to make this competitive — and produced one of the most one-sided closeout games of the modern playoff era. 130-93. A 37-point margin. The series sealed 4-1, just as it looked like it might be after Game 1.
Jalen Brunson dropped 32 points and 11 assists, putting the cap on a Conference Finals performance that has already entered the early MVP conversation for the Finals themselves. Karl-Anthony Towns finished with 26 and 14. OG Anunoby added 19. New York shot 53% from the field, outscored Cleveland by 21 in the second quarter, and were never threatened after a brief Cavaliers push midway through the third.
The story of the Knicks’ playoff run reads like a stat sheet. They beat the Hawks 4-2 in Round 1. They swept the 76ers 4-0 in Round 2 — the same 76ers who had just eliminated the Celtics in seven games. They beat the Cavaliers 4-1 in the East Finals against a team that needed seven games to advance from Round 2. They were the better team in every series, dropped a total of three games across three rounds, and are heading to the Finals with the deepest rest advantage of any team left in either bracket.
Brunson’s Conference Finals numbers — 31 points and 9 assists a game, on 47% shooting — already deserve to be remembered as one of the best individual playoff runs of the past decade. If he can produce anywhere near that level in the Finals, the Knicks are going to be very difficult to stop.
Hurricanes 3, Canadiens 2 — Carolina take back home-ice advantage
The other meaningful result today: Carolina returned to the form they showed sweeping the Flyers in Round 2. A 3-2 road win at the Bell Centre means the Hurricanes have now won two straight after Montreal’s stunning Game 1 victory in Carolina last week. The series sits 2-1 to Carolina, and the swing here is meaningful — Montreal had a chance to push the Hurricanes into genuine trouble and instead let the 1-seed walk back into the driving seat.
Sebastian Aho scored the winner late in the third. Frederik Andersen — who had looked beatable in Game 1 — was back to his Round 2 form, stopping 31 of 33 shots faced. Cole Caufield scored both Montreal goals but didn’t get the support he needed from the Canadiens’ secondary scorers. Samuel Montembeault was solid in defeat but couldn’t replicate the heroics of Game 1.
This is the moment Montreal’s Cinderella run gets genuinely tested. They’ve already beaten Tampa Bay and Buffalo in seven games each. They stole Game 1 in Carolina. But Carolina have answered with two straight, and Game 4 on Thursday morning AEST back in Montreal is now critical — drop that one and the series is heavily skewed to Carolina to close out.
📺 NBA Finals start Thursday 4 June
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What’s next — Spurs vs Thunder Game 5 tomorrow
With the East decided, all attention now shifts to the Western Conference Finals — currently tied 2-2 between the Spurs and Thunder. Game 5 tips at OKC at 10:30am AEST tomorrow Wednesday 27 May. This series has been the marquee of the postseason: a 2-seed San Antonio with a healthy Wembanyama against the defending champion Thunder, who have not been stretched like this since the start of last year’s title run.
| Day (AEST) | Time | Game | Watch (AU) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed 27 May | 10:30am | Spurs vs Thunder — West Finals G5 (OKC) | Kayo / Disney+ / League Pass |
| Thu 28 May | 10:00am | Hurricanes vs Canadiens — East Finals G4 (Montreal) | Kayo / Disney+ / NHL.TV |
| Fri 29 May | 10:30am | Spurs vs Thunder — West Finals G6 (San Antonio) — if needed | Kayo / Disney+ / League Pass |
Tomorrow’s Spurs vs Thunder Game 5 is genuinely huge — the winner takes a 3-2 lead with at least one more game guaranteed. If OKC win at home, they’re in command of the series and a Game 6 win in San Antonio sends them to the Finals. If the Spurs steal Game 5 on the road, the Thunder face elimination at the Frost Bank Center on Friday. This is the single most important game on the calendar before the Finals start.
The 2026 NBA Finals — what we know
The Finals start Thursday 4 June at 10:30am AEST at Madison Square Garden — the Knicks have home-court advantage as the higher-remaining seed. Game 2 is Saturday 6 June, Game 3 Tuesday 9 June, Game 4 Thursday 11 June. All games 10:30am AEST — one of the most Australian-friendly Finals windows of any major US sport.
The Knicks’ opponent will be either the Thunder (the defending champions, 69% Finals favourite once they win the West) or the Spurs (the Wembanyama story, an underdog with home court advantage in their conference). Either way, the Finals matchup is potentially compelling: Brunson vs SGA if it’s OKC, Brunson vs Wembanyama if it’s San Antonio.
For Australian broadcast: all NBA Finals games are on ABC in the US, which means in Australia they’re available on Kayo Sports, Disney+, ESPN Australia and NBA League Pass. For the full breakdown, see our How to Watch NBA in Australia 2026 guide.
Full bracket and schedule are kept up to date on our NBA Playoffs 2026 Australia hub.
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What’s next?
- Live US Sports TV Guide — every game with AEST times and live scores
- NBA Playoffs 2026 Australia hub — full bracket and Finals schedule
- How to Watch NBA in Australia 2026
- MLB Weekly Wrap — Rays Surge, Yankees Slide
- Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball schedule (external)
All times shown in AEST (Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane). Mac Johannson covers US sports for Australian fans.
