On Saturday night, the New York Knicks sought to win their first NBA Championship since 1973. Game Five took place in San Antonio, Texas against the Spurs, who had only managed to win one game out of the four, despite pushing the Knicks to the brink in nearly every game.
Game Four was a heart attack of a watch for Knicks’ fans, with the Knicks mounting the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. OG Anunoby tipped in a missed three by Jalen Brunson to give the Knicks a one point lead in the final few seconds of the matchup. Spurs’ point guard De’Aaron Fox noted that “the games [the Spurs] have been losing have all been close games,” which is a testament to the team’s resilience. With that in mind, the Knicks knew San Antonio wouldn’t go down without a fight. Knicks’ head coach, Mike Brown, stated that the Spurs are “desperate,” so the win would not come easy on Saturday.
The Knicks won the tip-off, though the Spurs’ defense was all over them, not allowing a shot. Brunson’s attempt missed the net. Stephon Castle’s three attempt also missed, and so did Josh Hart’s. Both teams started off with suffocating defense. The Spurs had two straight loose ball fouls. Victor Wembanyama had a massive block on Karl-Anthony Towns, leading to the first field goal of the night, getting two for the Spurs. Brunson, wide open, made a three to make the Knicks’ first of the night.
Julian Champagnie stopped a dunk attempt from Anunoby, after he faked out Wembanyama—Anunoby earning two free throws off his personal foul. Towns found himself with a personal foul on Wembanyama, who made both his free throws. Towns then missed a three with no one around him. Wembanyama continued to assert his size with multiple blocks and dunks early. Dylan Harper, New Jersey native, made his first three of the night, though he ended up trading with Anunoby.
The Spurs’ defense looked more cohesive following the TV timeout. Harper found a reverse layup, then leading the Spurs in points. The Knicks were two for 15 from the field. Anunoby missed his shot attempt, though closely followed by the Spurs’ third turnover of the night. Mitchell Robinson watched Keldon Johnson make his three directly over his head. Brunson finally made two off a step-back after a seven point run from the Spurs.
Brunson made a three point pull-up, cutting the Spurs’ lead to seven. The Knicks ended the first quarter down 23-13. Anunuoby said that he thought the team played well defensively but needed to play better after the first.
The Knicks struggled to make any impactful moves early in the second. Towns finally got two off as the shot clock went off, though the Spurs were still up by 13. Wembanyama made a 25’ three—for the Spurs’ 16 point lead. He then fouled Towns but the Spurs challenged the call. Towns was charged with the foul, though thankfully for the Knicks, Carter Bryant turned over the ball, allowing Mikal Bridges to make his first three.
With Wembanyama off the court, the Knicks were able to get through the paint, though still largely failed to convert. Harper made yet another pull-up jump shot, his 11th point of the night. Hart responded with a three, cutting the lead to 12. Brunson made a 26’ three, going three-for-three on long shots. Robinson was then charged with a defensive goaltending violation against Devin Vassell. Brunson made a nifty jump shot followed by a 20’ jump shot. The Knicks went on a 10-2 run in two minutes.
As the clock wound down on the Spurs, Fox made his three. Brunson was fouled by Wembanyama, making both free throws. Anunoby yearned a neat offensive rebound to allow Bridges to make three. Towns earned his third foul with 2:34 remaining. Down eight points with two minutes remaining, Brunson fought for his offensive rebound, though the team couldn’t get a clean enough shot off. Anunoby stole the ball, leading to a Hart finger roll layup, also drawing a foul from Fox. The referees reviewed the play for a flagrant foul, eventually determining the upgrade was warranted. Hart made his free throw, with Knicks maintaining possession. Bridges made two, cutting the Spurs lead to three. At the buzzer, Vassell put the Spurs up five to end the half.
Towns earned his fourth foul of the night early in the third. Bridges’ two cut the lead back to three, with Champagnie getting it right back. Brunson’s two was matched by Wembanyama, who was fouled by Robinson. The play was reviewed for a flagrant, and upgraded for penalty one. Champagnie made three, followed by Wembanyama’s two. Bridges, wide open, made his third three, quickly followed by a Brunson two.
The Knicks’ defense looked solid before the TV timeout, creating two missed shots for the Spurs and cutting the lead back to five. Brunson and Vassel traded threes, with Brunson looking hurt after his shot. The Knicks were frustrated by what should have been a flagrant foul against Wembanyama.
The Spurs led since early in the first, mostly thanks to Harper, scoring 18. Harper then fouled Brunson, who continued to be targeted by the Spurs. Brunson made 27 points, to the rest of the team’s 28, with no points from the bench. Harper accumulated his third foul, once again on Brunson. Jordan Clarkson made two, for the first points from the bench of the night. The Knicks ended the quarter down seven, still searching for a miracle.
Landry Shamet made his first of the night, a three, traded with Vassell. The Knicks only converted on 33.8% of their attempts, compared to the Spurs’ 42%. New York desperately needed more aggression on offense. Shamet was forced out of bounds awkwardly, limping to the locker room. Following Brunson’s 34th of the night, the Knicks trailed six with just over seven minutes remaining.
Wembanyama’s fourth foul was challenged by Spurs’ head coach Mitch Johnson, which was successful, with the foul placed on Towns, his fifth. Both teams were out of challenges at this point.
Brunson’s finger roll layup tied the game at 83 with 4:48 remaining. He then made three free throws to give the Knicks their first lead since the first quarter. Brunson went on a 10-0 run in the fourth to tie the game. Towns’ sixth foul benched him for the game with 1:53 left.
Up three wth 26 seconds left, Brunson went out of the game, with Shamet subbing in. Up four, Anunoby missed his free throw. Hart had a double-double in points and rebounds.
With 16 seconds left, the Spurs didn’t seem all that eager to move. The Knicks were up three with 8.8 seconds remaining, though Harper made only one of his free throws. Anunoby made the defensive rebound, nearly sealing the deal and making one of his free throws.
The New York Knicks won their first NBA Championship 94-90, off Brunson’s stellar performance. He was awarded the Finals’ MVP award.
that man is different 😤 pic.twitter.com/CU98eNRKDU
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 14, 2026
The Knicks had one of the most dominant playoff runs in recent history, only losing one game in the Finals. New York will remember this one for a lifetime.
Mackenzie Connick
