The New York Knicks broke the “curse” attached to winners of the NBA Cup on Thursday by advancing to the second round of the NBA playoffs.
The first two NBA Cup winners — the Los Angeles Lakers (2023) and Milwaukee Bucks (2024) — were both eliminated from the first round of the postseason. The Knicks were in danger of suffering a similar fate when they went down 2-1 in the series against the Atlanta Hawks after back-to-back daggers by CJ McCollum in Games 2 and 3.
The Knicks, however, flipped the script and outscored the Hawks by a whopping margin of 32.0 points in Games 4, 5 and 6 to advance in the postseason.
The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III acknowledged that the curse had been broken:
“Oh, I think it should be noted: The Knicks have ended the NBA Cup curse.
“They’re the first winners of the Cup to advance to the second round since it started.”
Knicks Decimate Hawks in Game 6
With their 140-89 win over the Hawks in Thursday’s closeout game, the Knicks set several NBA postseason records.
Besides setting an NBA playoff record by taking a 47-point lead (83-36) into the halftime break, they set a new Knicks franchise playoff record with their 51-point margin of victory.
Furthermore, their 83 points in the first half is tied for the third-highest first-half point total ever. Only the Oklahoma City Thunder (87 points against the Denver Nuggets on May 7, 2025) and the Cleveland Cavaliers(86 points against the Golden State on June 9, 2017) scored more points in the first half of a playoff game. The Dallas Mavericks also scored 83 first-half points against the Sacramento Kings on May 8, 2003.
Karl-Anthony Towns Shines for Knicks
Karl-Anthony Towns attempted just four shots in Thursday’s win, and yet finished with a triple-double stat line of 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. In the process, he became just the second 7-footer in NBA playoff history to record multiple postseason triple-doubles, following his triple-double performance in the Game 4 win.
After the Knicks advanced in the NBA playoffs, head caoch Mike Brown acknowledged the vital role Towns had played in transforming his team’s offense.
“The biggest thing is we had to change our offense,” Brown said, via ESPN’s Vincent Goodwill.
“Again, not as drastic as we probably did halfway through the year, but we had to change it because every possession was a grind those first three games, especially down the stretch.”
Brown noted that the Hawks “forced” the Knicks to alter their offensive principles due to the defensive pressure applied on Jalen Brunson.
“They forced us to put our thinking caps on, and they forced us to play different,” Brown said. “Find ways to make the game easier for our players while putting them in their strengths, while trying not to hinder them.”
The Knicks face the winner of the Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last year, the Knicks beat the C’s in the second round.
Knicks End ‘Curse’ With Game 6 Win Over Hawks in NBA Playoffs