The New York Knicks captured their first NBA championship in 53 years on Saturday night, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 at the Frost Bank Center to win the finals series 4-1.
Jalen Brunson scored 45 points to lead the comeback after the Knicks trailed by double digits early in the game.
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He was named NBA Finals MVP.
“I don’t know what I’m feeling,” Brunson said, fighting back tears. “Whenever someone counted us out, we found a way to come back and do something about it.”
The victory came three days after New York completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history at Madison Square Garden to take a 3-1 series lead.
Brunson Dominates Final Quarters to Seal Victory
San Antonio built a 16-point lead in the second quarter, but Brunson mounted a scoring run to cut the deficit.
A flagrant foul by De’Aaron Fox on Josh Hart led to a five-point possession that trimmed the halftime lead to 49-44.
The Spurs pushed their lead back to 15 points in the third quarter behind rookie Dylan Harper, who finished with 25 points.
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But the Knicks closed the gap to seven entering the final frame.
Brunson carried New York down the stretch, scoring 10 unanswered points to tie the game before sinking the go-ahead basket.
Victor Wembanyama registered five blocks early but visibly fatigued as the game progressed.
He had accumulated three flagrant points before Saturday, and a potential flagrant foul on Brunson’s three-pointer was not called.
“There aren’t really words you can put into what these guys have done, the character that they have, the fight they have, the grit they have, the never-say-die attitude,” team president Leon Rose said.
The title is the third in Knicks history and their first since 1973.
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The series drew massive television ratings, with the largest broadcast audience for a Game 4 since the 1998 finals.
