NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Published: 17/03/2026, By: Alex Courbat
There is a version of New York that never sleeps. On Saturday night, there was another version entirely. The one that stayed awake because something generations of fans had waited more than half a century to see had finally happened. The New York Knicks are NBA champions.
Fifty-three years after their last title in 1973, the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to bring the Larry O'Brien Trophy back to New York. For a franchise that has spent decades chasing its own history, it was a moment many fans wondered if they would ever experience.
At the centre of it all was Jalen Brunson. The Captain delivered the defining performance of his career when his team needed it most, scoring 45 points and earning Finals MVP honours as the Knicks closed out the series 4-1. It was the highest-scoring Finals game by a Knicks player and the performance that finally ended one of the longest championship droughts in American professional sports.
The road to the championship was anything but straightforward. Just weeks after the 2024-25 season ended, the Knicks made one of the boldest decisions in franchise history, moving on from Tom Thibodeau and hiring Mike Brown as head coach. The move immediately became one of the biggest stories in the league. Brown arrived with enormous expectations and inherited a team carrying the hopes of an entire city.
The Knicks responded with one of their best seasons in decades. New York finished 53-29, secured the third seed in the Eastern Conference, and added an NBA Cup title along the way. Brunson continued to establish himself among the league's elite guards, while Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart helped create one of the deepest and most balanced rosters in basketball.
The playoffs tested them every step of the way. The Knicks were pushed to six games by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round before finding another level. They swept the Philadelphia 76ers and then the Cleveland Cavaliers, reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. With every series, Brunson's reputation grew. By June, he was no longer simply an All-NBA star – he was the face of a team chasing history.
When New York arrived in the Finals, belief had replaced hope. Standing in their way were the Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox, a young and fearless team determined to spoil the celebration. The series was competitive from the opening tip, with several games decided in the closing minutes.
The Knicks took control early, winning the first two games in San Antonio before the Spurs answered in Game 3 to keep the series alive. Game 4 became the turning point.
Trailing by 29 points, New York looked destined for defeat before producing one of the most remarkable comebacks in Finals history. Possession by possession, the deficit disappeared. Then, with the game hanging in the balance, OG Anunoby's late tip-in completed a stunning 107-106 victory and moved the Knicks within one win of a championship. It was the kind of moment that instantly becomes part of franchise lore.
Then came Game 5. The Knicks fell behind by as many as 16 points, and for a moment, the celebration seemed destined to wait another night. But Brunson refused to let it happen.
Time and again, he delivered. A basket. A free throw. A crucial play when New York needed one most. Every possession felt bigger than the last as the Garden crowd sensed history getting closer.
By the final buzzer, Brunson had scored 45 points, the Knicks had secured a 94-90 victory, and a championship drought that stretched across generations had finally come to an end. More than a championship, it was a release.
The last time the Knicks won a title, Willis Reed was captain, Walt Frazier was running the show, and Madison Square Garden belonged to a different era. Since then, New York endured heartbreak, false starts, rebuilding projects, and countless seasons that ended with disappointment.
Entire generations of fans grew up hearing stories about 1973 without ever having one of their own. That changed on Saturday night.
Brunson joined Reed as a Finals MVP for the franchise. Mike Brown delivered a championship in his first season. Towns, a New York native, helped bring a title home. And the trio of Brunson, Bridges, and Hart added an NBA championship to the NCAA title they won together at Villanova.
For 53 years, the Knicks were chasing history. Now they are part of it. The New York Knicks are champions again.
