sports
Knicks Reach NBA Finals After Starting Playoffs at Long Odds
New York advanced to the championship series after entering the playoffs at +2200 odds. Six prior teams that reached the Finals from similar odds all lost the series.
Jun 2, 5:32 PM·1m read2 sources
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The Knicks reached the NBA Finals after entering the playoffs at +2200 odds to win the title. That placed the team among seven squads since the 1976 NBA-ABA merger to advance that far from +2000 or longer odds. The six previous teams all lost the Finals. Those clubs were the 1976 Suns, 1981 Rockets, 1999 Knicks, 2020 Heat, 2023 Heat, and 2025 Pacers.
Antonio entered the season at +6600 odds to win the title.
The team now holds the favorite position in the Finals. The Knicks and San Antonio last met in the Finals when New York entered as +600 underdogs and lost the series in five games. A year earlier, the 2025 Pacers came within one game of a title before losing Game 7 after a key player injury.
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