Finally – the New York Knicks are NBA champions again.
On Saturday night, the dream became reality. The Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 94–90 in Game 5 and took the series 4–1 in the NBA Finals.
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Knicks finished as a champion team
The Spurs led by ten points midway through the fourth period and looked set to force a Game 6 game. But then San Antonio’s attacking play came to a halt. New York gradually took control, again with the help of Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and a defense that has dominated the entire playoffs.
Brown rewarded after a tough road
Head coach Mike Brown admitted that it hadn’t sunk in when the final whistle blew.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Brown said. “It felt unreal. I’m completely exhausted. It’s been a long journey and you need good players and a good staff around you to achieve something like this.”
Brown came to New York under a lot of pressure after being hired in the summer, when Tom Thibodeau left the club. The hiring process was widely discussed – the Knicks were linked with several other candidates before finally selecting the experienced coach.
Instead of caring about the outside noise, Brown focused on building a team identity. That ultimately yielded the franchise’s long-awaited championship.
“I could only control what I could control,” he said. “A lot was said about who the club really wanted, but I stuck to the opportunity that was in front of me.”
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Historic playoff dominance
New York’s title was built on one of the most impressive playoff performances the NBA has ever seen.
The Knicks went through the playoffs with a point differential of plus 283 – a new league record, past several legendary champion teams.
Josh Hart, one of the team’s executives, spoke about what the title meant to him after a career marked by several trades.
“The only thing I’ve ever wanted is to win,” Hart said. “I’ve been doubted many times and moved around a lot, but New York embraced me for who I am. I make mistakes like everyone else, but I always try to give everything I have to help the team win.”
Wembanyama: “It stings”
For Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, it was a painful night.
“It hurts,” said the Frenchman. “But I don’t try to avoid that feeling. I’m going to use it. This is the greatest lesson of my life. As a team, there’s no better experience than what we’ve just been through.”
San Antonio’s defeat was all the more frustrating because they led in all five games. Spurs took double-digit leads in all games, but only managed to finish one of them. Game 5 followed the same pattern.
Wembanyama made a big impact defensively early, with five blocks in the first half, and held New York to the lowest first-half scoring this season.
But the game turned around towards the end, when Finals MVP Jalen Brunson took over. The Knicks guard scored 15 points in the final period and finished with 45 for the night – as New York finished the game with a 21-7 spurt.
“The margin for error is very small,” Wembanyama added. “We had periods where we controlled the games completely. But when we made mistakes, they punished us immediately. The highlights weren’t the problem. Those were the lows.”
