The New York Knicks are one win away from reaching the NBA Finals. And they've gotten into this position on the strength of a 10-game winning streak like no other in team history.
Or NBA history, for that matter.
They trailed Atlanta 2-1 in Round 1, which seems like forever ago. They're 10-0 since, after winning the final three games against the Hawks, then sweeping Philadelphia in Round 2, and now taking a 3-0 lead over Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals.
It looks easy, but Knicks coach Mike Brown noted, “there's nothing easy about this" and added having “a little bit of luck” helps as well.
“They’re doing the things I always talk about: they’re holding each other accountable, they’re believing in the process, they’re playing with a competitive spirit that is unmatched," Brown said. "If you do those things while focusing on the detail and communicating and bringing energy and effort you have a chance to string some games together.”
A look inside the numbers of this monthlong stretch by the Knicks:
The Knicks have won these 10 consecutive playoff games by a combined 225 points. There's never been such a one-sided 10-game stretch in NBA history — regular season or playoffs.
Before this playoff run, the most lopsided score differential in a 10-game winning streak for the Knicks came from Oct. 24 through Nov. 11, 1969 — 168 points. New York won the NBA title that season.
The most one-sided 10-game winning streak in playoff history was turned in by the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, who outscored opponents by 171 during that stretch on their way to that season's title. Among the assistant coaches on that Warriors staff was Mike Brown, now the Knicks' head coach.
And the NBA record for point differential in any 10-game stretch, before now, was a 214-point margin by the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1973-74 season. The Bucks went 9-1 in those games. The most lopsided differential during a 10-game winning streak was also by the Bucks, who outscored opponents by 212 points from Feb. 11 through Feb. 24, 1971.
New York's 10-game winning streak is tied for the fifth-longest in a single postseason.
Golden State started 15-0 in the 2017 playoffs. San Antonio won 12 straight in the 1999 playoffs, and the Los Angeles Lakers had a pair of 11-game playoff winning streaks — first in 1989, when they got swept by Detroit in the NBA Finals, and again in 2001 when they topped Philadelphia for the title.
The Knicks join Boston (2024), Cleveland (2016 and 2017), San Antonio (2012) and New Jersey (2003) in having 10-game winning streaks in the same postseason.
Before this season, the Knicks’ longest playoff winning streak (in the same season) was a six-game run in 1999.
New York has scored 1,222 points during the winning streak. The Knicks are the eighth team to have scored that many points during a 10-game postseason stretch.
Of the previous seven, five went on to win NBA titles — Golden State in 2017, the Lakers in 1987, the Lakers in 1985, Philadelphia in 1967 and Boston in 1959.
The two that did not — Denver in 1985 and San Antonio in 1983.
The Knicks are shooting 53.8% during this 10-game winning streak, by far the best in the NBA since this run began on April 25.
Oklahoma City is shooting 50.1% since that date. No other team in the league is over 50% over those last four weeks.
New York is 5-0 in its last five playoff road games — tying the longest such streak in team history. Last season's Knicks also had a five-game road winning streak.
But all five of the wins in this Knicks' streak have come by double figures — tying the longest such run in NBA playoff history.
Miami won five consecutive road games by double digits in 2013, and Golden State did it in 2017. Both of those clubs won NBA titles in those seasons.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) celebrates with teammates after winning Game 3 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
PARIS (AP) — Marta Kostyuk’s first-round win at the French Open became one of her toughest matches after she found out beforehand that a missile almost hit her parents' home in Ukraine.
Kostyuk fought back tears after beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the opening day of the clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros in western Paris.
“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career," the 15th-seeded Kostyuk said. “This morning, 100 meters away from my parents’ house, the missile destroyed the building and it was a very difficult morning for me ... I didn’t know how I would handle it, I’ve been crying part of the morning.”
She received a message at 8 a.m. and could not stop thinking what could have happened.
“I felt sick,” she said. “If it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.”
Her mother, sister and great aunt — were in the house at the time of the strike, she said, among 17 people in total, so her relief was enormous that no one was injured.
“I don’t want to think what I would do if something worse happened, but I knew that this is the day to go out and play,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind today that I shouldn’t go out, because, you know, at the end of the day, everyone is alive.”
After the match, she thanked fans and received an ovation. Then she explained how she found the emotional and mental resources to play.
“I think it’s important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people, I woke up in the morning today and,” the 23-year-old Kostyuk said, becoming tearful before repeating and finishing the sentence.
“I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their life, kept helping people who are in need,” she said. "I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out, support. My friends from Ukraine came as well.”
When Kostyuk first served for the match at 5-1 she got broken. But she served it out on her next opportunity and waved to fans holding up a Ukraine flag in the upper deck.
She next plays unseeded American Katie Volynets and Kostyuk's countrywoman Elina Svitolina — a recent winner at the Italian Open in Rome — faces Anna Bondar on Monday.
Sunday's opening day saw players coping with high temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) — with the intense heat contributing to Frenchman Arthur Gea taking an emergency bathroom break early into his first-round loss to No. 13 Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.
Spectators folded newspapers in half and fanned themselves to keep cool as players on court attempted to stay hydrated.
The opening match on Court Philippe-Chatrier saw No. 11 Belinda Bencic beating Sinja Kraus 6-2, 6-3 and 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev followed with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Benjamin Bonzi. The second-seeded German plays unseeded Tomas Machac next.
The night match on Chatrier features three-time champion Novak Djokovic against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.
Two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic will play a men’s record 82nd Grand Slam tournament — one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez.
AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Paris contributed to this report.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Alexander Zverev of Germany returns to Benjamin Bonzi of France during their first round men's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine signs autographs after winning against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates as she won against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine celebrates as she won against Oksana Selekhmeteva of Spain during their first round women's singles tennis match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Arthur Gea of France warms up before the first round men's singles tennis match against Karen Khachanov of Russia at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
