The New York Knicks, recently an afterthought in the NBA championship picture, have surged to have an implied 30.1% chance to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
BetMGM’s NBA Finals odds show the Knicks are up from +2200 when the playoffs began to their current value of +225.
Key Takeaways
- The Knicks fell from +900 on opening night to +2200 in Finals odds when the postseason began.
- No NBA team produced a better 10-game point differential than the Knicks just did.
- The OKC Thunder are still favored to win the Finals, and the Spurs likely would be too if they take the West.
The Knicks’ 37-point Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals — their 11th straight victory of the playoffs — resulted in them becoming the first team to reach the 2025-26 NBA Finals. They will face either the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs, depending on who comes out of the West.
Oddsmakers had their eyes on the Knicks when the season began. A losing six-game series with the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago still positioned them as one of the best teams in the East, especially after Tyrese Haliburton tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the 2024-25 Finals.
Oddsmakers installed the Knicks at +900 odds to win the championship by the time that opening night arrived. Only the Thunder (+240), Denver Nuggets (+600) and Cleveland Cavaliers (+750) had shorter odds, according to SportsOddsHistory.
The Knicks went through the majority of the regular season in the top three in the Eastern Conference standings, eventually finishing third at 53-29.
Despite their relatively high standard, the Knicks’ NBA Finals odds slowly dwindled with time. They fell to +1200 on New Year’s Day, +1700 on March 1, and their +2200 odds (4.4% implied chance) when the postseason arrived. That’s when everything changed.
Eliminating the Atlanta Hawks in six games and witnessing the Philadelphia 76ers upset the Boston Celtics in the first round led to the Knicks receiving +900 Finals odds at the start of the conference semifinals. Their first sweep of the 76ers left them at +550 before the conference finals, and their second against the Cavaliers shortened them to their current line of +225.
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Knicks make NBA playoff history
The Knicks’ Finals run had nothing to do with good fortune. Their 11-game winning streak is tied for the third-longest in NBA playoff history, trailing only the 2017 Golden State Warriors (15 games) and the 1999 Spurs (12 games). They are tied with the 1989 and the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers.
They also just posted the best 10-game postseason point differential in league history — and it wasn’t close.
Their +246 mark means they outscored their opponents by an average of nearly 25 points per game over their last 10 outings. They finished 32 points (15%) clear of the previous record-holders, the 1974 Milwaukee Bucks (+214), and 40 points ahead of the 2017 Warriors (+206), who hold the record for the longest playoff winning streak.
The New York Knicks just played the most dominant 10-game stretch in NBA history, and it's not even remotely close pic.twitter.com/5qaLngvQLE
— Lev Akabas (@LevAkabas) May 26, 2026
The Knicks’ record-breaking run:
- 126-97 (+29) vs. Hawks
- 140-89 (+51) @ Hawks
- 137-98 (+39) vs. 76ers
- 108-102 (+6) vs. 76ers
- 108-94 (+14) @ 76ers
- 144-114 (+30) @ 76ers
- 115-104 (+11) vs. Cavaliers
- 109-93 (+16) vs. Cavaliers
- 121-108 (+13) @ Cavaliers
- 130-93 (+37) @ Cavaliers
Despite their sheer dominance, oddsmakers still believe the Thunder are the team that is the most likely to win the Finals. The Spurs, who are +155 series underdogs against OKC, also aren’t that far behind the Knicks in Finals odds, suggesting that they would be favored if they reached the championship stage.
Lookahead NBA Finals odds
The NBA Finals don’t begin until Wednesday, June 3. However, oddsmakers have provided a glimpse of what is expected when the final best-of-seven series begins.
FanDuel’s lookahead lines show that the Thunder would be 6.5-point home favorites (-240 moneyline odds) in a potential Game 1 against the Knicks. The Spurs would be 4.5-point favorites (-166 moneyline odds) in Game 1 if they reach the Finals. Hypothetical series odds are not available.
