After 27 years of heartbreak, dysfunction, and false dawns, the streets of New York are alive with championship hunger that has been simmering since 1999. The New York Knicks are heading back to the NBA Finals, putting an emphatic end to a grueling three-decade franchise curse. New York stamped its ticket to the championship round on Monday night with a dominant 130-93 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena. Actually, it was set in stone at halftime of Game 4 that ended in an unprecedented Eastern Conference Finals sweep. At the absolute center of this historic achievement was Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, who cemented his legendary status in Empire State lore by becoming the first unanimous Eastern Conference Finals MVP in NBA history. And in contrast, deserving credit for making Brunson look great, is James Harden.

Jalen Brunson’s historic individual honor was confirmed after a nine-member media voting panel — which included analysts such as Doris Burke (ESPN Radio), Stefan Bondy (New York Post), Fred Katz (The Athletic), and Richard Jefferson (ABC/ESPN) — unanimously cast all nine votes in his favor.

This milestone carries profound historical context for a franchise that has spent nearly three decades in an endless cycle of front-office and coaching dysfunction and regular-season rebuilds. The last time the Knicks reached this stage, current core pillars Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns were not even five years old.

By guiding first-year head coach Mike Brown’s squad to a flawless 4-0 sweep, Brunson has officially exorcised decades of postseason ghosts and positioned New York just four wins away from its first championship since 1973.

Of course, the defining narrative of this series wasn’t Brunson alone. Some of the spotlight was stolen by the Cavaliers, especially their star trade deadline acquisition. What was supposed to be a tactical boost in James Harden became a nightmare. Once again, James Harden walks away from the playoffs defeated and a new low in a 17-year career.

Jalen Brunson’s achievement reflects James Harden’s downfall

The Knicks-Cavaliers series was fundamentally defined by the completely opposite trajectories of the two starting guards. While Brunson effortlessly dictated the pace and play of every game, The Beard endured a catastrophic stretch that culminated in an unfortunate career low. Following the Game 4 blowout, Harden officially went winless, swept in a playoff series for the first time in his 17-year NBA career.

Harden is one of five players in history to make the postseason every season of their enduring career. But being in league with Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan, actual champions, is not as great as it should be. As one practical Cavs fan confided before Game 4, James Harden and performing when needed have never been in the same sentence. Playoff Harden is nonexistent unless it’s to make more turnovers than field goals.

Historically known for at least stealing a game or two in his prior postseason exits with Oklahoma City, Houston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, Harden’s tenure with the Cavaliers reached its absolute nadir in his 17th playoff appearance.

The contrast on the floor was stark. Mike Brown showed his cards right after Game 1, declaring they’re targeting James Harden’s known weakness. As it happened, 17 playoffs have not made Harden fix his most visible flaw. However, neither have his revolving door of coaches found a solution to it. With Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns’ on Harden, Kenny Atkinson failed to recalibrate around Harden’s well-known gaps in screens. Harden’s regular season offensive caliber completely sputtered, resulting in a frustrating series defined by more turnovers than field goals.

While Cleveland’s frustrations boiled over on the sidelines, highlighted by Donovan Mitchell’s heated halftime huddle tonight, the Knicks put on a masterclass in roster synergy. Brunson’s steady presence kept the Knicks executing flawlessly while Harden left a trail of chaos for the Cavs to stumble on across four consecutive games. With this dominant sweep in the books, Brunson has rewritten the history books for New York, leaving James Harden and the Cavaliers to face a summer of existential questions about their roster.