Knicks Are ‘The Best Playoff Run in Franchise History,’ Says Jeff Van Gundy: Is He Right?
Jeff Van Gundy coached the 1999 New York Knicks to the NBA Finals. He just declared that the team he coached is no longer the gold standard.
Van Gundy told Ian O’Connor of The Athletic that the 2026 Knicks are in the middle of the best postseason run the franchise has ever produced. That is a massive statement coming from a man whose own playoff run as a head coach reached the Finals as an eighth seed.
“This is the greatest playoff run in Knicks history,” Van Gundy said. “They still have to win it, but there’s never been a Knicks team this dominant. They are just waylaying people.”
The Case for Van Gundy Being Right
New York just swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals after dispatching Philadelphia and Atlanta in earlier rounds. They have not played a single-digit game since Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They have road playoff wins by 50 points. They are 12-3 in this postseason.
The 1999 Knicks needed seven games against Indiana and were swept by the Spurs in the Finals. The 1994 Knicks went the full distance against Houston and lost a heartbreaking Game 7. Neither of those teams looked like this team does right now.
Jalen Brunson has been the best closer in the conference. Mikal Bridges has played the best basketball of his career. OG Anunoby has shut down every wing he has been asked to guard. Karl-Anthony Towns finally looks comfortable as a No. 2 option. And Tom Thibodeau has somehow gotten this group to peak at the exact right moment.
The Case Against
The obvious problem with Van Gundy’s take is that the Knicks have not actually won anything yet. The 1973 Knicks did, and they remain the last team in franchise history to lift the trophy. The 1970 team also won it. You cannot rank a run above championship runs when the championship is still four wins away.
The other issue is the level of competition. The Sixers were missing pieces. The Cavaliers might have quit on their coach. The Hawks were a young team learning what May feels like. The Knicks took advantage of every weakness in front of them, but the path was not as brutal as some past runs.
What Happens Next
Van Gundy is right about one thing. If the Knicks finish this off, the conversation changes completely. A title would put this group in the same breath as the 70s teams that defined the franchise’s identity.
The waiting begins now. The Spurs and Thunder are tied 2-2 in the Western Conference Finals with Game 5 set for Tuesday night. Whichever team comes out of that gauntlet will be exhausted. The Knicks will have at least nine days of rest before the Finals tip off on June 3.
If you are Tom Thibodeau, that is the dream scenario. If you are Van Gundy, the case for this being the best run in Knicks history is about to get a lot stronger.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
