The New York Knicks have won their first NBA championship since 1973… 53 years later!
The last time the team made it to the Finals was in 1999 when they lost to the Spurs four games to one, with the final game taking place at Madison Square Garden.
The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs Saturday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals 94-90 at the Spurs’ home court.
Back in the Big Apple, crowds across the city cheered as they watched from bars, outdoor watch parties and even outdoor kiosks.
Jalen Brunson with 45 points…closed with a flourish. He set a Knicks record for points in a finals game; it had been 38 by Willis Reed against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the 1970 series.
Brunson was named finals MVP for 2026 winning the Bill Russell trophy.
Also for Knicks head coach Mike Brown… this season has been a wild one. Back in December 2024, he got fired from the Sacramento Kings after the team stumbled out of the gate.
Instead of letting it define him, Brown stayed ready. By summer 2025, he was hired by the New York Knicks, stepping into a team that needed fresh energy and direction. Over the next season, his leadership helped transform the Knicks into a powerhouse, guiding them through the playoffs and all the way to the NBA Finals.
This historic series marked the eighth consecutive year the NBA crowned a unique champion…the longest streak of championship diversity in league history.
The run began with Toronto Raptors in 2019, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, Golden State Warriors in 2022, Denver Nuggets in 2023, Boston Celtics in 2024, and Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025. Now, New York will add its name to that remarkable list.
With this victory, New York also completed the league’s first-ever “double” by winning both the Emirates NBA Cup and the NBA Championship in the same season.
As for game viewership… The series averaged 19.6 million viewers over the first four games, making it the most-watched NBA Finals since 1998.
