It is over.
The New York Knicks’ championship drought officially came to an end on Saturday night with a 94-90 Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs to take the series in five games.
It is the Knicks’ first NBA championship since the 1973 season, and the third in franchise history.
They did it with another double-digit comeback, capping off a series — playoff run — full of improbable wins.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from Saturday’s game.
Game 5 winners
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks. This was, quite simply, a performance for the ages.
It is not only one of the best single-game performances in Knicks history, but it is one of the best performances in NBA Finals history.
With a championship on the line, and the rest of his Knicks teammates struggling to make anything work, Brunson, the Knicks’ leader and the heart-and-soul of the team, put everybody on his back and carried them across the finish line.
The stat line speaks for itself.
He finished with 45 points, the most ever by a Knicks player in an NBA Finals game, while also collecting three rebounds, three assists and two steals. But even that does not tell the story of what he did here.
He was clutch. He attacked the rim. He went right at Victor Wembanyama. He made every single big play, fought through physical contact, and seemed to even shake off some injuries.
Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks. Robinson recorded just two points, and he was 0-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Hardly anything to stand out.
But he was an absolute menace on the glass, grabbing 10 rebounds, including one of the biggest offensive rebounds in Knicks history late in the fourth quarter.
