By William Armstead
The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 94-90 to capture their first championship since 1973. The Knicks found themselves trailing once again, but mounted another second-half rally to secure the victory.
The Knicks won the series 4-1, coming back from being down double-digit points in all four of those wins.
Jalen Brunson had a spectacular night, carrying his team with 45 points and setting the record for most points by a Knick in a finals game. Brunson was not only unstoppable, but also clutch, scoring 13 straight points in a pivotal fourth quarter.
Brunson was named the 2026 NBA Finals MVP, averaging 32.6 points in the series.
Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart combined for 27 points. The trio of Brunson, Bridges, and Hart won an NCAA championship at Villanova and have now won an NBA championship together too.
The Spurs leading scorer was Dylan Harper with 25 points, followed by Wembanyama with 19, who also added 14 rebounds.
Aside from Harper, the Spurs were let down by their guards, who had a miserable shooting night. De’Aaron Fox shot 3-15 from the field and Stephon Castle 1-10.
The Knicks never counted themselves out of the game. They erased a 29-point deficit in Game 4, so a 16-point deficit on Saturday night was nothing they hadn’t seen before.
The Spurs showed championship potential, however late game collapses and mistakes proved that experience is still important in the finals.
After 53 years of waiting, the Larry O’Brien Trophy is finally headed back to New York.