NEW YORK, June 14 (Our New York News) — The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time since 1973, ending a 53-year title drought with a 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 14, according to NBA game and series records.
The victory in San Antonio gave the Knicks the best-of-seven series 4-1. It also gave the franchise its third NBA championship, according to league historical records.
The box score shows Jalen Brunson led New York with 45 points in the title-clinching game. That performance is the clearest statistical record from the final game available in the reviewed materials; full box-score details for both teams were not included in the source set.
For New York, the result changed more than one column in the record book. NBA historical Finals records show the Knicks had not won a championship since 1973 and had not appeared in the Finals since 1999, when they lost to the Spurs in five games. This time, against the same franchise, New York closed the series in five.
The championship run also included a major Game 4 comeback at Madison Square Garden. NBA game records cited in the reviewed reports show the Knicks came back from a 29-point deficit in that game before returning to San Antonio with a chance to clinch. The reviewed materials also describe the Game 4 rally as the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, though a direct NBA historical record page confirming that superlative was not included in the materials reviewed.
Game 5 followed a similar pattern in part. Reports citing the official play-by-play said the Knicks rallied from a double-digit deficit before winning by four. One account put the deficit at 16 points, but the exact high-water mark should be confirmed against the official NBA game book.
In New York City, the win immediately moved from a road result to a city event. The Associated Press reported celebrations outside Madison Square Garden and elsewhere in the city after the final buzzer. The reviewed materials did not include official crowd estimates, police totals, injury reports or arrest figures.
City government also moved to mark the championship. The mayor’s office announced a ticker-tape parade and a City Hall ceremony for Thursday, according to reports citing the city’s announcement. Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted “HISTORY” on X after the win, according to Reuters-based coverage.
The reviewed materials did not include the full parade route, start time or detailed security plan. They also did not include a direct statement from Empire State Building operators confirming one report that the building was lit in orange and blue.
What the records do establish is the central result: Knicks 94, Spurs 90; New York wins the Finals 4-1; Brunson scores 45; and the franchise’s first championship since 1973 is now its third overall.
