For the first time in 53 years, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions. Jalen Brunson earned MVP honors.
NEW YORK (WABC) -- The Comeback Knicks did it again. And now they're the Champion Knicks.
For the first time in 53 years, New York rules the NBA. Jalen Brunson scored 45 points, including 13 straight for New York in the fourth quarter, and the Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday night.
The Knicks won the series 4-1, rallying from double-digit deficits in all four of those victories. The deficit was 16 on Saturday night. Brunson and the Knicks were never fazed.
"It's surreal," Knicks coach Mike Brown, who was hired a year ago -- making him the franchise's 24th coach since the franchise's last championship in 1973. "I still can't believe it's happened."
Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart -- the other two parts of the "Nova Knicks" trio that also includes Brunson, three players who were NCAA champions at Villanova and teamed up in New York to try to do the same -- combined to score 27 points. Bridges had 14, Hart 13.
"I don't know what I'm feeling," Brunson said. "I'm in awe. Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it."
Dylan Harper scored 25 for the Spurs, who got 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots from Victor Wembanyama.
"This is the biggest lesson of my life, the biggest learning moment," Wembanyama said. "I can't tell exactly what the lesson is, but we're learning."
The Knicks improved to 4-0 in closeout opportunities this season, winning them all on the road. It didn't feel like the road, though -- not with thousands of New York faithful having made the trip to Texas to see a moment 53 years in the making.
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There are fans and then there are superfans. Meet Anthony Donahue: the man who has bled blue and orange his whole life.
For him, the Knicks are so much more than just his favorite team, they were an escape from a tough childhood.
They were a family who rallied for him when he needed it most.
He's been called the Knicks biggest fan -- and it might be hard to argue with that.
For Knicks fans in New York City and around our area, a chance to see their team in the NBA Finals is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It is no doubt going to be electric for Game 3 at the Garden -- but there are evidently some fans who can't wait until then.
Some fans made the trip to San Antonio to catch Game 1 and caught up with Anthony Johnson:
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York City Economic Development Corporation President & CEO Jeanny Pak announced that the New York Knicks' 2026 postseason run has generated an estimated $202 million in economic activity from home games played so far.
As the Knicks return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years, the postseason has the potential to generate a total of $465 million in economic activity if all possible home games are played.
"New Yorkers have been waiting 27 years for this moment," said Mayor Mamdani. "I've watched this team from the nosebleeds, from my couch with my family and alongside neighbors across this city. Millions of New Yorkers have done the same from living rooms, restaurants, barbershops and street corners in every borough. When the Knicks win, New York comes alive. And as these numbers make clear, that energy supports small businesses, workers and neighborhoods that make New York what it is. Go Knicks."
Watch parties will be held Wednesday night both inside and outside Madison Square Garden and at SummerStage, an outdoor venue in Central Park.
$10 tickets for the indoor watch party went on sale on the official Madison Square Garden website at 11 a.m. Tuesday and sold out in a matter of minutes. The watch party tickets then started appearing on the secondary market.
They were sold by exact seat and section like a typical Knicks game, though traditional courtside seating is not set up at the Garden for watch parties. Proceeds are going to the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
In addition to the indoor watch party, fans can also attend a free watch party outside MSG at Plaza33.
Game 1 is set to start at 8:30 p.m., and doors at the Garden open at 7:30 p.m.
The Knicks also are hosting a free outdoor watch party at SummerStage. Fans must fill out a registration form to attend, and the event was quickly listed "at capacity" with guests "welcomed at a first come, first served basis and walk-ins are welcomed."
The NYPD stopped issuing permits for watch parties outside the Garden during the Eastern Conference Finals because of unruly fan behavior.
