The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973, rallying to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 on Saturday night to close out the Finals four games to one.
Jalen Brunson carried New York with 45 points, including 13 of 15 from the free-throw line, fueling a fourth-quarter surge after the Knicks trailed for much of the night on the road. New York outscored San Antonio 29-18 in the final quarter to erase a deficit that had reached as many as 16 points. Josh Hart added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Mikal Bridges scored 14, and Mitchell Robinson grabbed 10 rebounds.
The title ends a 53-year drought for one of the league's oldest franchises, which had not won a championship since its back-to-back era of the early 1970s. The Knicks reached the Finals by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals and had taken a commanding 3-1 lead in the championship series, including a Game 4 comeback from 29 points down.
San Antonio, appearing in the Finals behind a new generation led by Victor Wembanyama, fell short despite a strong close to its season. Wembanyama finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, and rookie guard Dylan Harper scored 25, but the Spurs managed just 18 points in the fourth quarter as their shooting cooled. San Antonio had reached the Finals by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in a seven-game Western Conference finals.
For New York, the championship caps a postseason built on depth and late-game resolve, with Brunson the driving force throughout the playoffs. Brunson was named the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
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