This year’s NBA Finals have been long awaited. The New York Knicks are finally back in the Finals after 27 years, led by star guard Jalen Brunson, who was once clowned by Knicks fans for being overpaid. They are also backed by major acquisitions OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Despite 11 straight playoff wins going into the series, it will not be easy. The San Antonio Spurs, led by 7-foot-5 phenom Victor Wembanyama, have one of the best defenses in the league. This young team, led by rising stars, might have what it takes to stop this red-hot Knicks team. After Game 3 went down to the wire, the Spurs were able to stop the bleeding, although the Knicks still held a 2-1 series lead.
So far in this series, the faces of both teams, Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama, have lived up to the hype, scoring 20 or more points in every game. Spurs guard Dylan Harper has stepped up in this series, becoming a true X factor. He has averaged 16.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game off the bench in the Finals. For the Knicks, role player OG Anunoby has also elevated his game. He has averaged 23.8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1.5 blocks per game during the series.
So far this season, the San Antonio Spurs have been a more defense-focused team. Librarian Andrew Cusamano of Edison Intermediate School said, “The Spurs do well at pressing them [the Knicks] after half court.”
Despite that strong defense, the Knicks have still scored more than 105 points in each game of the series. The Knicks are definitely a more offense-first team, with strong shooters and players who can attack the paint, such as Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges, along with a skilled playmaker in Josh Hart. Off the bench, they have sharpshooter Landry Shamet and 7-foot center Mitchell Robinson, who can finish with layups and powerful dunks.
We put all of the players through the Sports Reference Basketball Versus Finder and found that the Spurs and Knicks are evenly matched. Aside from Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson, both teams have very similar players. De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, for example, match up well with OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
In Game 4 of the series, the Spurs jumped out to an early 10-point lead thanks to Karl-Anthony Towns getting into foul trouble because of some questionable calls. Throughout the first half, the Spurs dominated both sides of the court. They set an NBA record with 14 three-pointers in the first half. Dylan Harper had a stellar performance with 21 points off the bench and helped the Spurs build a 29-point lead. The game went into halftime with the Spurs leading 76-49.
In the second half, the Knicks exploded. They went on a scoring rampage and held the Spurs to just 30 points. The Knicks closed the gap, and OG Anunoby buried a three-pointer to make it 99-95 Spurs with just 4:32 remaining, capping a 20-4 run. De’Aaron Fox answered with a layup and a free throw to push the lead back to seven. With 3:30 remaining, Devin Vassell drilled a three-pointer to make it 104-97. Next, Jose Alvarado made a layup and then grabbed a rebound on Wembanyama’s missed shot, leading a fast break and scoring again. With 2:20 remaining, Jalen Brunson hit a jumper while drawing a foul to make the score 104-103.
With under two minutes remaining, Josh Hart stole the ball on a pass from De’Aaron Fox and drove to the basket, only to see the shot bounce off the back rim, crushing the hopes of many Knicks fans. Victor Wembanyama broke away on a fast break, and the Knicks intentionally fouled the 86% free-throw shooter to stop the play. Shockingly, he missed both free throws, giving the Knicks a chance to take the lead. With 1:22 left, Brunson took the ball at the top of the key and hit a floater to give the Knicks their first lead of the night. Stephon Castle drew a foul and made both free throws, giving the Spurs a 106-105 lead with 30 seconds remaining.
Out of a timeout, Brunson was forced to take a difficult shot, which led to De’Aaron Fox driving for a layup. Out of nowhere, OG Anunoby blocked the shot with eight seconds remaining, and Towns secured the rebound. He fed the ball to Brunson, who drove toward the three-point line. Brunson’s contested jumper bounced high off the rim, but OG Anunoby got a fingertip on it, and it miraculously dropped through the basket.
With 1.2 seconds remaining, the Knicks took the lead, and the Spurs did not have enough time to get off another shot. The Knicks won 107-106 in what was likely the best game of the season, taking a 3-1 series lead. They needed only one more win. Game 4 in New York was a pivotal moment in the series, giving the Knicks plenty of momentum to close it out.
Besides the game itself, another widely discussed topic was ticket prices. At Madison Square Garden in New York City, the cheapest ticket for Game 3 was $5,341. It did not get much better for Game 4, as the cheapest ticket was $4,585. For Game 6, if necessary, the cheapest ticket is currently $11,348. In San Antonio, the cheapest ticket for Game 1 was only $518, which is still expensive but far less than in New York. For Game 2, prices climbed to more than $1,300. Currently, for Game 5 on Saturday, June 13, the cheapest ticket is $1,390.
One trend seen on the internet is Sidetalk-style videos, primarily posted on TikTok and Instagram accounts sponsored by Kalshi. They interview Knicks fans at watch parties and have captured many people going crazy. They even have their own robot talking trash about the Spurs. Eighth-grade student Ethan Chang said, “The city will go insane, dude, like Gotham City.”
Another eighth grader, Sawyer Daniels, said, “There will be a massive puddle of people, bodies flying.”
Andrew Cusamano also said, “I think New York will be very chaotic. They are the true New York team, like the Mets or Yankees, not like the Giants or Jets. They play in New Jersey.” He also predicted, “I think the Knicks are going to win in five games.”
He was correct because, on the night of Saturday, June 13, history was made. For the first time in 53 years, New York won the NBA championship and returned to the top of the basketball world with its third NBA title.
Seventh grader Michael Wegrzyneck said that if the Knicks won, “New York will be super crazy, especially in the streets.”
He was not wrong. Fans celebrated wildly after the game. During the celebration, they smashed the windshield of a city taxi and severely damaged it. They also set five school buses on fire and destroyed them. One teenager was shot, and four people were stabbed during the celebrations on Saturday night in New York City, mostly in Manhattan.
Many people said this Knicks team was a team of destiny. One reason was that they won on 6/13, and 613 was also the number of career wins by Knicks coach Red Holzman, who led the team to its previous two championships. His name hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden alongside the number 613, commemorating his victories.
Overall, during the series, the Knicks trailed by at least 12 points in every game. They battled foul trouble and questionable officiating, yet they still won the series four games to one, led by Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
