New York Knicks cut to 1/7 for NBA Finals glory after storming to a 2-0 lead as they seek first title in 53 years, with San Antonio Spurs 7/2 outsiders

The New York Knicks moved a huge step closer to ending their 53-year wait for an NBA championship after taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals with a dramatic 105-104 victory in Game 2 on Saturday morning (BST).

Perhaps most impressively, both wins have come on the road, leaving Mike Brown’s side in a powerful position as the series shifts to a potentially raucous Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4.

Having entered the Finals as underdogs, the Knicks are now overwhelming 1/7 favourites with Sky Bet to lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy after winning the opening two games. 

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs have drifted to 7/2 outsiders after surrendering home-court advantage despite beginning the series as favourites.

The market move raises an interesting question: have the Knicks been underestimated all along?

With the Western Conference widely regarded as the stronger of the two conferences, many fans and pundits viewed the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder as the de facto NBA championship series.

Yet while much of the attention was focused on the West, the Knicks have quietly been assembling one of the most impressive postseason runs in NBA history.

Their Game 2 triumph was their 13th consecutive playoff victory, the second-longest winning streak ever recorded in a single postseason, trailing only the 2017 Golden State Warriors.

Now returning to New York with a 2-0 series lead and home-court advantage firmly in their favour, Jalen Brunson and Co have the opportunity to move within touching distance of delivering the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973 and ending more than five decades of heartbreak.

Conversely, with their backs firmly against the wall, the Spurs must find a way to respond in New York or risk seeing the series slip away, setting the stage for what promises to be an electric couple of nights at Madison Square Garden.

• All odds are correct at the time of publication