The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years. They beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on the road Saturday night in Game 5, capping one of the most dominant playoff runs in NBA history, according to ESPN.
It was not easy. The Knicks erased a 16-point deficit in the final game, a comeback that followed an already historic rally in Game 4. Erasing large deficits late had become a signature of this team all postseason long.
Jalen Brunson was the engine of it all. He finished with 45 points in the title-clinching game and was named NBA Finals MVP. After the final buzzer, he was shown on court embracing his father, Rick Brunson, who serves as an assistant coach for the team. ESPN broadcaster Mike Breen, who also calls Knicks games for MSG Network, delivered a line about the moment: "You know, life is not perfect, but there are perfect moments. And there's one right there."
Breen was also on the ABC television broadcast, and his call of the final sequence captured what 53 years of waiting felt like for Knicks fans. "IT'S OVER! IT'S OVER! KNICK FANS, THIS IS NOT A DREAM! YOUR LONG, LONG WAIT HAS ENDED! GO AHEAD AND CRY! AFTER 53 YEARS, THE KNICKS ARE FINALLY NBA CHAMPIONS ONCE AGAIN!"
The Knicks radio team had their own moment. Play-by-play announcer Tyler Murray called the closing seconds alongside Monica McNutt. In the final moments, Spurs guard Dylan Harper missed both free throws, and OG Anunoby converted a clutch free throw for New York. Murray's call when it ended: "IT'S HAPPENING, KNICKS FANS! IT'S HAPPENING! IT'S BEEN 53 YEARS! BUT FOR THIS MOMENT, IT WAS WELL WORTH THE WAIT! A PLAYOFF RUN THAT WILL GO DOWN IN HISTORY, AND A TEAM THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER! NEXT STOP, THE CANYON OF HEROES! THE NEW YORK KNICKS ARE NBA CHAMPIONS!"
On ESPN Radio, Marc Kestecher had the national call alongside P.J. Carlesimo and Doris Burke. Kestecher's call at the final buzzer: "It's OVER! AT LONG LAST, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 53 YARDS, THE NEW YORK KNICKS ARE THE WORLD CHAMPS! 53 SEASONS! A GENERATIONAL DROUGHT IS OVER! AND JALEN BRUNSON LEADS 'EM, WITH 45 POINTS, EMBRACING HIS ASSISTANT COACH RICK IN TEARS! KNICKS 94, SAN ANT" The broadcast was cut off mid-sentence as the celebration overtook the call.
Back in New York, the reaction was immediate. Fans flooded the streets across the city. ESPN reported bedlam on Broadway as crowds gathered to celebrate the franchise's first championship since 1973. The last title had come during the era of Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, a moment so distant that many current fans had never seen their team win it all.
The Knicks' next public stop will be the Canyon of Heroes, the route through lower Manhattan that New York uses for championship parades, a tradition that has not included a Knicks team since that 1973 title.
