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The New York Knicks claimed their first NBA championship in 53 years on Saturday, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win the series 4-1.
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points and had three assists, helping the Knicks erase a big fourth-quarter deficit and secure their third title, the first since 1973.
The Spurs played tough from the start, with Victor Wembanyama blocking three shots in the first quarter as San Antonio jumped to a 23-13 lead. That was New York's lowest-scoring quarter of the postseason.
Wembanyama tied a Finals record with five blocks in the first half and hit a three-pointer that put the Spurs up by 16 early in the second quarter.
San Antonio led 42-37 at halftime after Devin Vassell hit a fadeaway at the buzzer. The Spurs built another double-digit lead in the third quarter and started the fourth up 72-65.
In Game 4, New York made the biggest comeback in Finals history, coming back from 29 points down to force Game 5. On Saturday, the Knicks were down by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter but rallied again.
Brunson tied the game with a layup midway through the fourth quarter. After being fouled on a three-point shot, he made all three free throws to give New York an 86-85 lead with 3:40 left. It was their first lead since the opening minutes.
OG Anunoby, who was the hero in Game 4, made a dunk to put the Knicks up 88-85. The Spurs tied it at 88, but Brunson drove to the basket to give New York the lead for good. Anunoby, who had 11 points, eight rebounds, and three steals, helped secure the win with free throws.
Brunson was named Finals MVP after setting a Knicks record for points in a Finals game, beating Willis Reed's 38 points from Game 3 of the 1970 championship.
'I've got no words,' Brunson said after the game. 'I don't know what I'm feeling. I'm in awe. Whenever someone counts us out, we find a way to come back and do something about it.'
Mikal Bridges scored 14 points, and Josh Hart had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Karl-Anthony Towns only scored two points before fouling out in the fourth quarter, but he added 10 rebounds, three steals, and a block. Mitchell Robinson grabbed an important offensive rebound in the last minute to help keep the lead.
For San Antonio, rookie Dylan Harper came off the bench to score 25 points. Wembanyama had 19 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, and Julian Champagnie added 14 points.
After the game, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, 'We weren't ready to win an NBA championship. The better team won.'
The win brought tens of thousands of fans onto the streets across New York City, with packed watch parties in every borough.
Moments after the final buzzer, the Empire State Building lit up in the Knicks' orange and blue. Fans also celebrated outside Madison Square Garden, the team's home arena.
A loud group of Knicks fans was also at the Spurs' Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Notable guests courtside included Britain's Prince Harry and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
This win ends a 53-year championship drought for one of the NBA's most storied teams and gives New York its third title in franchise history.
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