Search

    Select Website Language

    SAN ANTONIO — In an NBA Finals full of close contests, the New York Knicks knew how to finish games better than the San Antonio Spurs. 

    The Knicks’ collective experience wore down the Spurs in crunch time once again. They overcame double-digit deficits early and late, survived foul-plagued performances from Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby and relied on star Jalen Brunson to save the day Saturday. 

    The New York Knicks are champions for the first time since 1973, clinching that elusive title with a 94-90 victory in Game 5. For the eighth consecutive season, the NBA has a new champion. 

    On a night when the Knicks struggled to score, they did what they had done throughout the regular season and playoffs: they kept playing, they defended, and Brunson carried the offense, scoring 29 points in the second half, including 15 in the fourth quarter, to lead New York to a series-clinching road victory. 

    The Knicks were 16-3 in the playoffs and won 15 of the final 16 postseason games, including nine consecutive road games. 

    “We weren’t ready to win an NBA championship. The better team won,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson. “We did a lot of good things, and we didn’t finish the job. That’s what it is.” 


    1. Brunson saves the day

    Brunson, the Finals MVP, scored a game-high 45 points – the rest of the Knicks had just 49. But Brunson’s production was enough, especially as he delivered basket after basket in the game’s biggest moments. 

    “Brunson, he is him, when it comes to New York basketball,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown. 

    Points were difficult to find all game. The Knicks had 15 points in the opening 16 minutes, but Brunson kept the game close with 16 first-half points. 

    Jalen Brunson scores a Knicks Finals record 45 points in the closeout victory over the Spurs.

    It was the fourth quarter, though, when he took matters into his own hands. 

    The Knicks trailed 83-73 with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Brunson scored the game’s next 10 points, and it was 83-83 with 4:48 to play. His 12-foot jumper with 1:05 to play gave the Knicks a 90-88 lead. 

    Brunson was 14-for-27 from the field, including 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, and 13-for-16 on free throws.  

    “I know how much he works, how good of a person he is, how good of a basketball player he is,” said Knicks forward Mikal Bridges, who won an NCAA championship with Brunson and Josh Hart at Villanova in 2016. “I’m just grateful to be on his side again. That’s really how I put it.” 


    2. Harper stars alongside Wembanyama 

    Spurs rookie Dylan Harper scored a team-high 25 points on 10-for-19 shooting and had five rebounds and four assists. The backup guard, who likely will move into the starting lineup next season, gave the Spurs a boost with a 3-pointer and two paint buckets shortly after entering the game in the first quarter. 

    Harper is the first rookie to record multiple Finals games with at least 20 points since Richard Dumas did it for the Phoenix Suns in 1993 and only 10 rookies have accomplished that, according to the Spurs’ public relations staff. 

    Wembanyama had 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks, and had already absorbed lessons from a painful loss in the Finals. 

    “The margin of error is very thin,” Wembanyama said. “Our domination stints are absolute. We absolutely dominated for most of the series. But our errors – our mistakes – are punished so hard that we can’t have ups and downs like this.” 


    3. Hart, Bridges pick up Towns, Anunoby

    Towns played just 23 minutes because of foul trouble. He fouled out with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter with two points on 1-for-7 shooting, 10 rebounds, three steals and five turnovers. Anunoby, the Game 4 hero after his winning tip-in, had five fouls and finished with 11 points on 3-for-11 shooting, eight rebounds and three steals.  

    After Brunson, the Knicks were 17-for-60 from the field. But Mikal Bridges (14 points) and Josh Hart (13 points) provided enough secondary offense to help the Knicks. Hart also collected eight rebounds, and the Knicks made play after play in the fourth quarter – a Mitchell Robinson offensive rebound off a missed free throw by Hart was one of Robinson’s 10 rebounds and Landry Shamet’s five points in the fourth were small but important contributions. 


    4. Knicks complete NBA’s 1st championship ‘Double’

    In a total team effort, the Knicks top the Spurs to snag the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup.

    On Dec. 16, the Knicks beat the Spurs, 124-113, to win the Emirates NBA Cup 2025. Six months later, the Knicks beat the Spurs to win the NBA championship. 

    The Knicks are the first team to win both the NBA Cup and an NBA championship, either in the same season or overall. 

    New York trailed the Spurs by double digits in the NBA Cup and came back to win. “We’re going to find a way. We’re going to fight. We’re not going to quit. We’re going to go out there and do what we got to do,” Brunson said then. 

    Throughout the playoffs, the Knicks showcased that resilience repeatedly, including multiple times during the Finals. 

    “To have the fans that we have in New York City,” Brown said, “and be able to bring home a championship after all these years is absolutely amazing.” 

    The post Knicks Capture First NBA Championship Since 1973 appeared first on The HBCU Advocate.

    Previous Article
    How Should Black People Steward Their Money?
    Next Article
    "Black Culture" Unisex Tee Shirt

    Related College Updates:

    Are you sure? You want to delete this comment..! Remove Cancel

    Comments (0)

      Leave a comment