Knicks get major advantage with NBA Finals start date

The New York Knicks have already punched their ticket to the NBA Finals following their four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. They now await the victor of the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs. And with the Finals have a set start date, the Knicks will have plenty of time off.

Even if the Thunder defeat the Spurs in Game 6 to advance to the NBA Finals themselves, the Knicks will still have had a little over one week off before Game 1 on June 3. After sweeping through the ECF, the Knicks have only played four games in the last 23 days. They swept the Eastern Conference Semifinals as well.

Sure it’s a bit of a competitive advantage for a team to get plenty of days of rest in between series, but that’s the Knicks’ reward for ending their two previous series’ as quickly as possible. They never allowed either the Philadelphia 76ers or the Cavs to gain any momentum during either of those two series’.

The Knicks come into the Finals for the first time since 1999. That was back when Jeff Van Gundy was the head coach and the team was powered by Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston. They faced off against the Spurs that year with San Antonio winning the series 4-1 en route to the first championship in franchise history.

The Knicks would reach the ECF during the 1999-2000 season, but were defeated by the Indiana Pacers. They had not advanced as far in the NBA playoffs until last year.

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