New York Knicks WIN NBA Finals after another epic comeback to clinch first title in 53 years sending long-suffering fans into dreamland

Horns, sirens and a groundswell of countless cheers rang out across New York on Saturday as the hometown Knicks pulled off another miraculous NBA Finals comeback over the San Antonio Spurs some 1,800 miles away.

Trailing by 16 points in the third quarter, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson led New York’s fourth-quarter rally to clinch the team’s first title since 1973 and just the third in franchise history with a 94-90 win. Fireworks shot off in New York within mere seconds of the final horn in San Antonio as long-suffering Knicks fans vented 53 years of frustration. 

Brunson would later win MVP honors after his 45-point effort – the most any Knicks player had scored in a Finals game since another famous team captain, Willis Reed, dropped 38 in Game 3 of the 1970 Finals. 

Remarkably, the Knicks trailed in the final minutes of each of the series’ first four games, three of which they still managed to win, including their historic 29-point comeback on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.   

Once again, the Spurs jumped out to an early lead over the Knicks, finishing the first quarter with a 23-13 edge and later pushing that edge to 16 in the third quarter. 

But after all the comebacks, not to mention victories in 14 of their last 15 postseason games, the Knicks stayed their usual calm and collected selves. And it didn’t hurt that Frost Bank Center was flooded with their fans, including fawning celebrity supporters like Sydney Sweeney, Tracy Morgan, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee and Timothée Chalamet, although he was without influencer girlfriend Kylie Jenner. Even British royal Prince Harry was spotted in the eighth row, seated alongside NBA commissioner Adam Silver. 

Meanwhile, coach Mike Brown and his players celebrated the win with a chorus of ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’ But nothing could match the euphoric pandemonium sweeping the streets of New York. 

Once again, the Knicks hosted their own watch parties, although only 3,000 ticketed fans were permitted within the NYPD’s ‘frozen zone’ around the arena. 

Meanwhile, attendees at Radio City Music Hall watched on big screen televisions for $10 per person, while countless locals gathered around outdoor TVs along the city’s sidewalks and alleys. 

And then there were the city’s designated outdoor areas, like Central Park, where thousands watched their Knicks make history on enormous projection screens.  

Brunson was particularly strong for the Knicks over the first half, scoring 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including three made 3-pointers.

Dylan Harper led San Antonio with 11 points off the bench in the first half, while Wembanyama added nine points, nine boards and a whopping five blocks. 

And largely because of the 7ft 5in Wembanyama’s defensive presence, New York managed just six points in the paint over the first 24 minutes of play. In fact, the Knicks shot just 30 percent from the field in the first half, although that was only marginally better than the 34-percent clip put forth by the Spurs. 

As a result, Saturday marked the lowest-scoring first half in NBA Finals history since the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers tangled in 2010. 

It certainly didn’t help that the Knicks’ bench was more or less missing in action while failing to score a single point over the first three quarters of play. 

As has been the case throughout the Finals, things were chippy again on Saturday in San Antonio, where Wembanyama was seen sporting a bloody mouth in the second half.  

Wembanyama was once again seen with his arms folded during the national anthem before Game 5. 

The Spurs star had drawn criticism for his posture during The Star-Spangled Banner in before Games 1 and 2. Later, the 22-year-old Frenchman was conspicuously absent for the song before Games 3 and 4 in New York.

And as has been the case throughout the series, Wembanyama faced online criticism for the perceived slight.

‘He’s trying to prove a point that he’s bigger than the National Anthem,’ one angry fan wrote on X.

‘WTF,’ a second critic wrote. ‘Victor Wembanyama again standing with his arms crossed during the National Anthem!!’

‘It’s extremely disrespectful,’ another added. ‘You’re fortunate to enjoy the fruits of Capitalism in America, the greatest country in the world. Show some gratitude, or Leave!’

The NBA does require all teams to stand in a dignified posture for the national anthem before every game. But like other rules, such as coaching dress codes, the league has taken a more passive approach to enforcement in recent years

Whereas Denver’s Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was suspended one game for refusing to stand for the anthem in 1996, the NBA allowed its players to kneel in protest of racist police brutality after George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

The Daily Mail previously sought comment from the NBA on Wembanyama’s presence during the anthem and any potential penalty he could face.

On Saturday, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson dismissed the controversy, saying players are often off the court during the anthem. 

‘I think there’s plenty of players not on the floor during the anthem, I don’t know if that’s habit, superstition, bathroom… I don’t foresee anyone looking into it at all.’