Karl-Anthony Towns realizes childhood dream helping Knicks to NBA Finals

NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns knows the struggle as well as anyone. He understands the patience, loyalty and heartbreak Knicks fans endured as they waited — and waited and waited — for this return to the NBA Finals. He used to be right there with them. "I grew up a Knicks fan," Towns, who was born and raised in New Jersey, said after Monday night's sweep-clinching 130-93 win over the Cavaliers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. "What's more of an honor is, growing up in the area, I feel like the word 'hope' has been gone from the New York Knicks for a long time. … To be part of this team that revives the word 'hope' in the city, it's something special. It's something really, really special." Now in his second season with the Knicks, the towering Towns has been a massive part of the team's first trip to the Finals since 1999, averaging 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists in the playoffs. It's the level of impact the Knicks envisioned when they took a big swing to trade for Towns in October 2024. At that time, the Knicks had been to back-to-back Eastern Conference semifinals, and a core of Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart remained in place. Earlier that offseason, the Knicks sent a package that included five first-round picks to the Nets for two-way wing Mikal Bridges. But the Knicks weren't done. The Knicks knew Towns — a 7-foot center with an elite shooting touch — would elevate their ceiling, even though it required sending a cornerstone player in Julius Randle and a fan favorite in Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire him. It has paid off, as the Knicks advanced to the Eastern Conference finals last year in their first season with Towns, then went another step further this year by earning their first Finals berth in 27 years. "We got to this point because we worked together," said Towns, who was born in Edison, N.J., and played high-school basketball at St. Joseph in Metuchen. "We've been a team. We unified. The collective group has shown up in spots when we need to." It hasn't all gone smoothly for Towns, as adjusting to first-year Knicks coach Mike Brown's system took some time. Still, Towns averaged 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds in the regular season and earned his second consecutive All-Star selection as a Knick. He's proven even more indispensable in the playoffs, flourishing more as a playmaker while remaining one of the Knicks' top scorers. Against the Atlanta Hawks' undersized frontcourt in the first round and banged-up Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid in the second, Towns starred as a distributor as the Knicks ran their offense through him. The Cavaliers' tall tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen presented a tougher test for Towns in the conference finals, but he still delivered a rock-solid series, averaging 12.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50% (8-for-16) on 3-pointers. "Experience teaches you a lot. This is my third conference finals in a row, and I finally got over the hump, finally got to the Finals," said Towns, who also went to the Western Conference Finals with the Wolves in 2024. "I'm gonna enjoy this moment. … It's OK for New York, the fans, us, our fan base to enjoy this moment and be jubilant about this. But for us as the players, we understand that the job's not done, we've got to get back to work." If he can help lead his hometowns Knicks to their first championship since 1973, it would serve as a fitting final chapter in Towns' full-circle story. "When I was growing up watching the Knicks, I was just hoping one day I could just put the jersey on," he said. "I never knew I would be in this position … talking about us going to the Finals, and the city believing in us. "There's nowhere better in the world when the Garden has hope."