Knicks and Thunder reach the Conference Finals after second round sweeps

Jalen Brunson (Google Images)

The NBA Playoffs are now down to six teams after two franchises were eliminated in the last 48 hours. On Sunday, the New York Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers 144-114 to win the Eastern Conference semifinal series four games to none, and on Monday, the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers 115-110 to win the Western Conference semifinal series four games to none.

With the win, the Knicks will now play the winner of the series between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. That series is deadlocked at two after Donovan Mitchell’s amazing second half performance in game four. The Thunder will now play the winner of the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs. That series is also deadlocked at two.

In the Knicks win over the 76ers, the Knicks were led in the series by point guard Jalen Brunson of New Brunswick, New Jersey, who averaged 29 points per game. Brunson had 35 points in game one, a dominant 137-98 win, and 33 points in game three, a 108-94 win. In the fourth game on Monday, the best Knicks player was shooting guard Miles McBride of Cincinnati, Ohio, who had a team-high 25 points and was a +33.

In the Thunder win over the Lakers, the best Thunder player was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Toronto, Ontario, who averaged 24.5 points over the four games. Gilgeous-Alexander’s best game against the Lakers offensively came in the fourth game on Monday when he had 35 points. The Thunder have now won all eight of their postseason games so far, as they also swept the Phoenix Suns in round one.