NBA Conference semis in motion with Knicks advancing to finals

By Lithira Ekanayaka

After the chaotic and unpredictable first round, the Conference semifinals of the 2026 NBA season continue to deliver exciting basketball, major upsets, and record-breaking performances. 

In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks swept the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers who had earlier overcome a 3-1 deficit against the Boston Celtics in the first round.

The Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, completely outplayed the 76ers throughout the seven-game series, securing a dominant 4-0 sweep. With this victory, New York advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.

The opening game of the series saw the Knicks blow out the 76ers 137-98, while they claimed the second and third games 108-102 and 108-94 respectively. Game 4 resulted in another emphatic victory, as the Knicks defeated Philadelphia 144-114 while also tying the NBA playoff record with 25 made three-pointers.

Brunson, who has consistently delivered outstanding performances for the Knicks, is now widely referred to by fans as the “King of New York.” During the series against Philadelphia, he scored a total of 116 points, leading the Knicks to their first best-of-seven series sweep since the 1999 Eastern Conference semifinals. Scoring 116 points with an average of 29.0 points per game, Brunson was the leading scorer for New York Knicks, recording 35, 26, and 33 points in the first three games respectively. In Game 4, he added another 22 points.

Mikal Bridges was the second highest scorer for the Knicks with 70 total points at an average of 17.5 points per game. Bridges recorded 17 points in Game 1, 18 in Game 2, 23 in Game 3 and 12 in Game 4.

Knicks centre Karl-Anthony Towns was the team’s third-highest scorer, recording 62 points across the four games at an average of 15.5 points per game. He scored 17 points in Game 1, 20 in Game 2, 8 again in Game 3 and 17 in Game 4.

The 76ers suffered yet another disappointing playoff exit despite their impressive comeback against Boston in the first round. The defeat also extended Philadelphia’s drought of reaching the Conference Finals to 25 years, with their last appearance dating back to 2001.

The Knicks will now move on to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they will face the winner of the series between the Detroit Pistons and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With momentum firmly on their side, the Knicks currently look like strong contenders to win the Eastern Conference and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.