NEW YORK, June 14 (Our New York News) — The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time since 1973, a finding supported by the league’s Game 5 result, Finals series record and franchise title history.
The Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on June 14, 2026, in San Antonio to win the NBA Finals 4-1, according to the official NBA game result and series record cited in national and international reports. The win gave New York its third NBA championship and ended a 53-year gap between titles.
The box score puts Jalen Brunson at the center of the clinching game. Brunson scored 45 points in Game 5, according to the official NBA box score. No other full Game 5 statistical line was available in the records provided for this report.
The score and series record tell the core story: New York did not need a return trip to Madison Square Garden. The Knicks won three of the first four games, then finished the series on the Spurs’ home floor. The four-point final margin also fit the pattern of a Finals run that included major swings in momentum.
The most documented of those swings came in Game 4, when the Knicks overcame a 29-point deficit at Madison Square Garden, according to NBA game records described in the available reporting. Those reports described the 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 also included a Knicks comeback. The available accounts say New York rallied from a double-digit deficit before winning 94-90. One account placed the deficit at 16 points, but that exact figure should be checked against the official play-by-play before being treated as final.
The title also rewrites a long part of Knicks history. NBA historical records list the franchise’s previous championship in 1973. The Knicks had not reached the NBA Finals since 1999, when they lost to the Spurs 4-1. This year’s result reversed both the opponent and the series outcome: New York defeated San Antonio in five games.
In New York City, the win quickly moved from the box score to the streets. Reports from national and international outlets described celebrations outside Madison Square Garden and elsewhere in the city after the final buzzer. The materials reviewed did not include official crowd estimates, arrest figures, injury reports or police statements tied to those gatherings.
City government also moved to mark the title. The New York City mayor’s office announced a ticker-tape parade and City Hall ceremony for the Knicks on Thursday, according to reports citing the city announcement and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public post on X. Reuters reported that Mamdani posted, “HISTORY,” after the championship-clinching win.
The confirmed record now stands plainly: Knicks 94, Spurs 90 in Game 5; Knicks win the Finals 4-1; Brunson scores 45; New York claims its first NBA championship in 53 years and its third title overall.
