The New York Knicks won Game 5 of the NBA Finals
Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- The New York Knicks are NBA champions
- The team won the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time in 53 years
- Jalen Brunson led the way with 45 points and won the Finals MVP award
After 53 years, the New York Knicks are NBA champions!
Led by "Captain Clutch" Jalen Brunson, who scored 45 points, the long-suffering franchise is bringing back the Larry O'Brien Trophy to New York City.
Despite Karl-Anthony Towns being hampered by foul trouble and Game 4 hero OG Anunoby limited to 11 points, the team found yet another way to win, after losing for most of the game for a fifth consecutive time.
In the intense defensive game, points were hard to come by in the first half. At the half, the Spurs led, 42-37. In a similar pattern to the first four games, the Spurs led for most of the game. The Spurs' Victor Wembanyama was more physical from the start, but finished with only 19 points.
Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty
This year, the NBA Finals have made their mark with physical play on the court, exorbitantly expensive seats at both venues (but especially in New York) and high ratings. The game on Monday, June 8, was the most-watched Finals Game 3 in 28 years.
The Knicks and Spurs faced off after a lockout-shortened season in 1999, in which Avery Johnson’s three-pointer won the Texas team the title in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden.
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Many of those now-retired players from both teams, including former Knicks star Patrick Ewing and Spurs alums David Robinson and Tim Duncan, have been in attendance at this year's NBA Finals games, as have a sea of celebrity faces.
Celebrities including Timothée Chalamet, Tracy Morgan, Spike Lee, John Turturro, Sydney Sweeney and Ben Stiller were among the Knicks faithful who traveled to Frost Bank Center to take in what could have been a deciding game in the championship series between New York and the San Antonio Spurs.
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