New York Knicks win first NBA Championship since 1973
Jalen Brunson led the New York Knicks to the 2026 NBA Championship with a 4-1 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.
There’s no denying the New York Knicks.
They self-destructed again in the first quarter. Once again they dug a hole for themselves. And the Knicks once again came back from behind by double digits to pull off an improbable victory, this time on Saturday, June 13th, to clinch their first NBA championship in 53 years.
The Knicks trailed by 10 points with 8:21 left in the fourth quarter, but went on a 21-7 run to take one more game from the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, and sit atop the NBA.
Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson scored 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, including 13-of-15 from the line, in the NBA Finals and volunteered for New York to be named NBA Finals MVP. In comparison, Brunson’s remaining teammates scored 49 points.
New book saves the Knicks’ championship run
This is New York’s third NBA title and first since 1973.
Here are the takeaways from Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.
Jalen Brunson goes down as one of the game’s greatest players
Brunson scored nearly half (47.9%) of New York’s points in the NBA Finals game. He tied Michael Jordan for the most championship games in Finals history.
Brunson, 29, is a three-time All-Star, a three-time All-NBA selection, and currently holds championship and NBA Finals Most Valuable Player awards.
Brunson faced criticism that his size and style of play prevented him from being a leader on a championship team. Not only did he shatter that narrative, but the Knicks established themselves as the force behind Brunson and his team-friendly contract. All of this only increases the chances that the Knicks remain solid title contenders for years to come.
“I said it, and listen to me, he’s a top-three MVP candidate,” Knicks coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game. “Everybody just kind of says his name. They don’t take it seriously enough. People say he’s too small. People say he’s a 1B or 2B or something. They say he’s a 1B or 2B or something.”
“He’s a hell of a 1A. He’s an MVP candidate. And I hope you guys tonight — and I’m talking more to the media than the fans, but I hope you all recognize this guy for what he is because he’s the A1 MVP. He’s what he is.”
Spurs’ bankruptcy remains a major concern for this year and beyond.
San Antonio is a young team, and the NBA Finals is unlike any other in basketball. Expect some nerves. But San Antonio’s inability to close out games proved to be a fatal flaw.
The Spurs held a double-digit lead at some point in the fourth quarter of this series. Within the first two minutes of each game, they were in the lead or at least tied at some point. San Antonio was eliminated in the finals in five games.
The problem throughout the series was offense. While the Knicks increased their defensive intensity late in the game, the Spurs simply couldn’t find a way to generate any signs of consistent offense.
For the second straight game, the Spurs held a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter, only to completely collapse offensively.
San Antonio scored just seven points in the final 8:21 of the game, going just 3-of-17 (17.6%) in that span.
Victor Wembaneyama is a special player, but he struggled late in the game as New York tried to squeeze in his shot. More of the blame should be on guards De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, who were unable to penetrate New York’s defense and create opportunities for their teammates.
Wenbanyama said after the match, “Our stint of dominance is absolute.” “For most of the series, we were completely in the lead. But we can’t have these ups and downs because our mistakes and mistakes are severely punished. That’s about it. Ups and downs are fine. Ups and downs are what cost us.”
This could be a learning experience, and the Spurs should grow from this, but coach Mitch Johnson will also need to use this experience to find ways to slow things down when he gets an avalanche from opposing teams. Johnson will also need to find a way to facilitate the offense.
It’s notable that the Knicks won the series despite a slow start
The Knicks lost everything in the first quarter in the Finals. And it wasn’t just that they started from an early hole, what stood out was how poor and inefficient they were in the first period.
On Saturday night, New York missed its first five shot attempts in the first quarter and shot just 4-of-22 (18.2 percent) from the field. The Knicks committed six turnovers (which gave San Antonio a seven-point lead) and missed all eight attempts in the paint.
Sure, Victor Wembaneyama lurking in the paint changed a lot of the look, but the slow start wasn’t out of the ordinary for the Knicks. They were practically a guarantee.
New York’s total point differential in the first period of the NBA Finals was -57. In each of the past three games, New York has finished the first game with a double-digit deficit.
Frankly, New York is very fortunate that the young Spurs are still learning the effort and intensity required to shut out teams. Because a first quarter like this probably should have been disqualified from the championship.
At this point, it’s clear that Mitch Johnson should have played Dylan Harper and not De’Aaron Fox.
In some cases, a player simply has a bad series.
Knicks forward Mikal Bridges was terrible in the first round before blowing up in the conference semifinals and conference finals.
Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox is in for a tough final. One game after making a critical mental error in the final seconds of Game 4 and helping the Knicks pull off a record 29-point comeback, Fox struggled again Saturday night.
He scored just 7 points on 3-of-15 shooting. Fox did have five assists and helped settle the offense with his ball handling, but the reality is that rookie Dylan Harper has him ahead of him. And it’s not even particularly close.
Harper was particularly active in the third quarter, scoring 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting during the period. The explosion occurred as the Spurs tried to create some cushion against New York heading into the fourth inning. It wasn’t enough, but he was the first player to get to the rim.
What makes Harper particularly dangerous is that he is too relentless and unafraid to attack the paint and get close to the rim. The Spurs sometimes settle for too many jumpers, especially 3-pointers, in this series. Harper offset that by scoring a team-high 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting.
San Antonio will have to make a decision regarding Fox, who signed a four-year max extension worth $228.6 million, keeping him with the team through 2029-30.
This meant that huge amounts of money were invested in players who more or less disappeared, especially towards the end of the game.
