Jalen Brunson’s 45, Finals MVP honors lift Knicks to first NBA title since 1973
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As if a 53-year wait wasn’t long enough, the New York Knicks needed to become the kings of comebacks before they could once again become kings of the NBA.
Mission accomplished.
The Knicks captured their first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday night, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals to claim the series 4-1 and secure just the third title in franchise history.
Jalen Brunson delivered one of the greatest performances in Knicks history, scoring 45 points in the championship-clinching victory. The star guard’s scoring outburst set a franchise Finals record and earned him unanimous NBA Finals MVP honors, cementing his place among the legends of Madison Square Garden.
The road to the championship was anything but easy. New York became the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 29-point second-half deficit after its stunning Game 4 comeback, capped by OG Anunoby’s unforgettable game-winning tip-in. The Knicks also trailed by at least 10 points in the opening quarter of every game in the series, yet consistently found ways to rally.
Game 5 followed a familiar script.
San Antonio built a lead that reached 16 points and appeared poised to force a Game 6. Victor Wembanyama controlled the paint while rookie Dylan Harper provided a major spark offensively. The Spurs led by seven entering the fourth quarter and maintained a double-digit advantage early in the final period.
But Brunson refused to let New York’s championship dream slip away.
Brunson delivers championship glory
His clutch 12-foot jumper with 1:05 remaining gave the Knicks a 90-88 lead. Josh Hart added a crucial free throw, while Mitchell Robinson grabbed a massive offensive rebound after Hart’s miss. Anunoby, already a postseason hero, split a pair of free throws to extend the lead to four.
San Antonio made one final push when Stephon Castle converted a put-back dunk with 16.3 seconds remaining, but New York calmly closed out the game at the free-throw line.
Wembanyama finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Harper led the Spurs with 25 points off the bench.
For New York, however, this night belonged to Brunson and a resilient group that never stopped believing. Behind their Finals MVP point guard, the Knicks completed one of the most memorable postseason runs in NBA history and finally brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to New York after more than five decades of waiting.
