Finals Game Five: Start Spreading the News

Many fans are still in awe over what we all saw in Game Four of the NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs had the New York Knicks dead to rights, and that's an understatement. A 29 point lead in that game. It was done. However, the Knicks didn't give up. They scratched, they clawed, they bounced back, and they actually won! The largest comeback in Finals history; from 29 points down and a 2-2 Finals, to winning by one and moving one win away from winning the whole thing.

The Finals shifted back to San Antonio for Game Five. The Knicks were in very good shape. They had already won the first two games in San Antonio, and they were up 3-1 in the Finals. Being up 3-1 in the Finals, historically, is a sure thing. Only one team has ever won an NBA Finals after trailing 3-1, and it was the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers a decade ago against the 73-win Golden State Warriors.

The Larry O'Brien Trophy was in the building. So were the Knicks' many famous fans. Legendary former Knicks such as Walt "Clyde" Frazier (who was part of the 1970 and 1973 championships), Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks, and Allan Houston were in the building. The celebrity fans included Ben Stiller, Timothee Chalamet, Giancarlo Esposito, John Turturro, Tracy Morgan, and of course, Spike Lee. All of them were waiting to see history.

It wouldn't be easy.

The Spurs started strong once again, holding the Knicks to only 13 points in the 1st quarter. Spurs led by 10 after the first frame, and actually led by 16. The Knicks, thanks to a five-point possession late in the 2nd quarter, trailed by five at the half, but they still needed a bounce back. They were down by seven heading into the fourth quarter, and that's where the bounce back happened. The Knicks, again, clawed back in this, whittling down their deficit to a tie with three minutes left, and it was Jalen Brunson's three free throws that gave the Knicks the lead.

The rest of regulation saw fouls being traded, including a bogus one against Karl-Anthony Towns. Whatever free throws the Spurs got, they weren't going in. This included Dylan Harper's two free throws with the score at 93-90. OG Anunoby went one-for-two in his attempts at the line, but it was enough. The clock ran down, and the Knicks were celebrating in Texas, while millions of New Yorkers did the same.

On Saturday evening, June 13, 2026, the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, in Game Five of the NBA Finals. With the win, the New York Knicks are NBA Champions for the third time in their history, and the first time since all the way back in 1973. Think about how long ago that is. The Exorcist came out that year. Sanford and Son was in Year Two. All in the Family was in Year Three. Richard Nixon was in the White House. As for the sports world, this was just months after the Dolphins' perfect year, the New York Mets "believed" that year, and the New York Islanders had completed their very first season in the NHL.

Jalen Brunson, who had 45 points in Game Five, was named Finals MVP. So many players were champions for the first time with this victory. Regarding Game Four hero OG Anunoby, this was his second ring; he won with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. This was a hell of a run for the Knicks. Remember: they trailed 2-1 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round! Since then, the Knicks won 15 of their final 16 games, including 13 straight and sweeping two series! Even crazier, the Knicks started late in nearly every game in the Finals. Yet they bounced back, got the wins, and now they're on top.

Remember when a lot of us sports fans complained about the lack of parity in the NBA? This year is the eighth straight year with a different champion. The parity seems to be returning to the NBA; it's not the same teams anymore. I am very happy for the Knicks, and I say this even as a Chicago Bulls fan who is also a child of the 90s. I remember those 90s Knicks teams led by Patrick Ewing. They were the closest things to the MJ-led Bulls, but we were the Knicks' dead end. The Knicks' best chance during that period was 1994. MJ was "retired," and the Knicks were in the Finals, but they lost Game Seven. The Knicks made it back in the shortened 1999 season, but they fell short again to the Spurs. Now, here it is, 27 years later, and the Knicks are finally champions again.

So ends another NBA season, and major congratulations to the Knicks for becoming champions! For New York City, this is their first championship in any of the main leagues since the New York Giants won Super Bowl XLVI 14 years ago (since then, the WNBA's New York Liberty won the championship in 2024). Here's hoping that the Knicks good aura rubs off on the Yankees!