NYK wins thriller over SAS to end 53-year NBA title drought

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

New York has done it.

After 53 long years of waiting, the Knicks can finally call themselves NBA champions once again, pulling off a familiar come-from-behind victory over the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on June 14, 2026.

Just like in Games 1 to 4, the Spurs led by double digits in the first phase, only to be trimmed by the surging Knicks, who again displayed their veteran experience and playoff composure in front of a hostile San Antonio crowd.

Down by 16 points?

Still no problem for the Knicks.

Two days after pulling off a historic 29-point comeback to move a win away from capturing the NBA title, New York displayed another gutsy road win, erasing San Antonio’s 16-point lead behind the efforts of Jalen Brunson, who played his best game of the finals series after exploding for 45 big points.

With the rest of the Knicks struggling to buy a bucket and remain consistent on the offensive end, Captain Clutch showed why he is New York’s franchise player after putting the whole team on his back.

Brunson scored 29 of the Knicks’ 45 points in the second half, answering every basket San Antonio converted to keep New York within striking distance.

Equipped with poise and a battle-tested war cry, Brunson slowly torched the Spurs, scoring a layup at the 7:15 mark that got New York to within six points, 77-83.

After a completed defensive stop, Brunson cashed in another deuce, outmaneuvering Victor Wembanyama in the paint with a series of slick footwork to get free for another layup.

When New York cut it to just four off those Brunson buckets, 79-83, the Frost Bank Center seemed like it knew what storm was coming.

Despite playing catch-up, New York knew it was still in a favorable situation.

In a fast-break attempt at the 4:49 mark in regulation, Brunson officially sealed New York’s comeback with another aggressive drive to deadlock the back-and-forth Game 5 at 83-all.

Since that moment, the Spurs looked flat, deflated and frustrated, and a wave of questionable decision-making plays once again hounded their chances of closing out an NBA Finals game.

De’Aaron Fox pulled up from the top of the key on contested looks, Wembanyama failed to get to the hole, and Stephon Castle fired bricks all game long.

Now that’s a recipe for disaster.

Dylan Harper did all he could to level the game at 88-all, but Brunson broke San Antonio’s hearts with a cold-blooded floater in the final minute of the ballgame for the 90-88 advantage.

After that, San Antonio never regained the lead and could only watch the visiting New York squad wrap up the NBA Finals with a dominant 4-1 series win.

The Brunson masterpiece was capped by an efficient 14-of-27 shooting from the field, including 4-of-7 from the 3-point area, and 13-of-15 from the free throw line.

Aside from Brunson, the only New York players who reached double digits in scoring were Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby, with 14, 13, and 11 points, respectively.

Brunson was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player as he averaged 32.6 points across five games, including 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds.

“I got no words,” Brunson said after winning the title.

“I don’t know what I’m feeling. I’m in awe, I don’t know. Whenever someone counted us out, we just found a way to come back and do something about it.”