NBA Basketball

2026-05-25 - New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

New York Knicks @ Cleveland Cavaliers
United States : NBA Basketball Playoffs Eastern Conference Finals Game 4
Monday 25th May 2026 - Scheduled 8pm EST
1am (British Time)

Preview

When they fell 2-1 behind to the Atlanta Hawks in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, the press and fans were sharpening their knives and ready to put the dagger into the New York Knicks.

They had lost back to back games by single point margins, but that has focused the team and the Knicks have not looked back.

Twenty-seven years have passed since the New York Knicks were competing in the NBA Finals and fifty-three since this team last lifted a NBA Championship, but the team have put together a ten game winning run through the post-season and now stand a single win away from returning to the Finals.

Most Knicks fans will still be keeping the emotions in check and that is largely down to the disappointments suffered over the years, but the 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals is one that teams have simply not been able to overcome. None have been beaten in a best of seven Series when moving into a 3-0 lead and the New York Knicks have dominated the last couple of games after breaking the hearts of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1.

Blowing that 22 point lead in the Fourth Quarter has haunted the Cavaliers and they have been outplayed in the last couple of games.

Head Coach Kenny Atkinson has made an effort to remind the media that his team have perhaps deserved more, but Cleveland have struggled at both ends of the court and Donovan Mitchell clearly looks to be playing through an injury. That has hindered a team that have been hugely reliant on the four key starters and it does feel like the long Playoff run has caught up with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Unlike the Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers have played every game possible in the Playoffs, while the limited recovery time between games has just worn them down.

You have to really worry about how much is left in the tank when you consider some of the Defensive work shown on the court in the Fourth Quarter of the defeat in Game 3.

Playing at home to avoid the sweep should offer motivation, but the Knicks have shown they have a greater depth and a team that is playing with freshness and confidence that cannot be understated. It has put them in a position to break the long wait to return to the NBA Finals and the New York Knicks may be able to weather the early push expected from the Cleveland Cavaliers before pulling away for another victory.

Teams that have faced a four game sweep in the Conference Finals are only 3-6 straight up in the last nine times this situation has come up, although 4-4-1 against the spread. However, this line is short enough to believe the New York Knicks do cover if they win and they can do that behind a balanced Offensive unit and a set of players looking to play with intensity on the Defensive side of the court.

Cleveland have to show more fight than they did in Game 3, but that may still not be enough to extend this Series back to The Garden.