It happened; it really happened. The New York Knicks are the 2026 NBA Champions. Let those words sink in, hold onto this feeling and drink it in Knicks fans. What you have watched since game four in Atlanta was not a dream, and if it was one at all, it came true. This team took itself out of a tough moment and rode their collective talent and guts all the way to the mountain top, an ending that they truly deserved. They, their coach, and their front office have now achieved immortality in New York on a level I don’t think any of us can really imagine. They did it themselves, for each other, and for all of us fans…and as usual it wasn’t pretty, but it was just their night in the end. Afterall Saturday’s date of 6/13 is the same number as Red Holzman’s career win total of 613, so maybe he was watching over them in the fourth.

As usual it was a bumpy ride to get to that fourth quarter, as it has been all series long against these young and talented Spurs. Every single game was an absolute war, coming down to the final moments, but their common thread was the Spurs hot starts. Game four was no different as they raced out to a lead and the Knicks simply couldn’t get a shot to fall, starting off the night 3-19 from the field. As the cold streak dragged on, I’d imagine a lot of nerves frayed throughout the tri-state, I know mine did. The thought crept into my head, even in the wake of the game four comeback, that tonight just may not be the night, and we would be onto game six with a chance to close it out at home. Cue Jalen “Captain Clutch” Brunson to save the day.

Number 11 put a stop to the cold streak and never looked back. He dragged them back into the game to close the half, fortunately only trailing by 5, 42-37 in spite of how poorly they played. In the third quarter he kept it going and even when the officials protected Wemby from a flagrant that would get him suspended for game six, Brunson just kept plugging away as he always does. He was utterly brilliant in the game, scoring half of the Knicks points on the night, a scintillating 45 out of the team total of 94. If the first theme of the series was the Spurs fast starts, the other theme was the Knicks closing games out better than the Spurs did. Tonight that almost happened in slow motion, as the with the lead down to six in the fourth, the Knicks seized the moment.

From that point on the Knicks would go on a 17-7 run to fulfill their destiny. It took big shots from Brunson, big rebounds from Mitch, clutch free throws (in spite of the misses) from OG and Josh, and collective defensive stops. But as this team has done since game four in Atlanta, the Knicks kept making plays and closed it out. As OG sunk his free throw to go up four and Wemby’s three sailed off the mark, all the pain and frustration and nightmare fuel of the last 25 years washed away.

The scene that followed was picture perfect, dialing up the likability factor of this team as this group was overcome with emotion, a welcome departure from the typically blase reaction of recent NBA Champions. Brunson and his teammates were unable to even put the feeling into words, the architect of it all Leon Rose was beaming with pride, Mike Brown let the dogs out, hell even James Dolan had his joyous moment as he apologized to the fans for it taking so long. This undoubtedly exceeded all the expectations you could have had for the moment in your mind…a truly surreal moment.

There will be detractors, because they’re just a part of modern culture in the world we live in. They will tell you the East was soft this year and it opened up for them. They will tell you the Spurs were too young and not ready to win, and the Knicks were lucky they choked. They will tell you OG’s tip is the only reason they’re here celebrating it all in the end. Let them waste their breath, pay it no mind. I won’t even dispute some of the points, and you know what, the Knicks have nothing to apologize for with this run. They dominated the competition going 16-3 in the postseason, executed down the stretch as all veteran teams should, and took advantage of the opportunity they had this year. As Bill Parcels told the Giants in 1986, “the rest of your life men, nobody could ever tell you that you couldn’t do it, because you did it!”

Before we wrap it up, let’s talk legacy here, as this is finally the right time to do it. Let’s start with Leon Rose and “Worldwide” Wes. They took over in 2019 and set this organization back on a course to winning. In an instant the Knicks went from being the worst run teams in the sport to being one of the best, even though we didn’t know it at the time. They hired Thibs (who deserves his credit tonight), signed Brunson, put the pieces around him, made the bold moves for KAT and Bridges, and brought in Mike Brown. Every one of those moves and many more were the perfect moves for this team, and it has paid off with the Larry O’Brian Trophy in the Knicks hands. They will be rightfully celebrated for their work for as long as they live and their legacy is the first of many golden ones we will speak about here.

There are a number of parallels that are simply too good to pass up in the wake of this title, the first of which is with the coach. On June 3rd, 2025, (read “A Bold Decision”) I wrote a post on this blog about Tom Thibodeau’s dismissal as head coach and how the Knicks now had the unenviable task of replacing a very successful coach the fans loved. I looked back in the moment and made the comparison to the Yankees dismissing Buck Showalter and needing to replace the well-respected skipper with a manager who could take the team to the next level, which they did in hiring Joe Torre. Mike Brown, much in the same way that Torre did, got the job as probably the third of fourth choice, with most of the fan base saying this felt like downgrade. But to his credit Brown embraced what was needed for this team to win it all. More use of the bench, more off ball movement in offensive sets, and an offense that didn’t just run through Jalen Brunson. He pushed all the right buttons and now sits at the top of the Knicks hierarchy of coaches with Red Holzman as his only company…pretty wild when you think about some of the men that coached this team.

The other parallel that is impossible to ignore in all this Jalen Brunson and Mark Messier. Both captains came to their respective MSG teams and helped catalyze a change in the culture while elevating the squads in question to Championship level. Brunson will forever be immortalized in the same way Messier is for delivering this title (as he won Finals MVP) and his number 11 will one day join Messier’s in the rafters of the World’s Most Famous Arena where it belongs. The honors likely won’t stop there as the talk of well-earned statues and plaques throughout the Garden have begun as well. In truth I’m not sure that any ceremony or statue or celebratory night at MSG can ever properly thank Jalen Brunson for what he did for this franchise. He didn’t do it alone, but Jalen Brunson helped save the Knicks and he helped put the sport of basketball back at the forefront of the city’s consciousness. He will be the most important Knicks player of the 21st century and will be on the Mount Rushmore of this franchise when it is all said and done.

He’s not alone on the roster as many other legacies were cemented on this night in Texas. OG Anunoby had an unbelievable playoff run and his tip in in game four will take its rightful place alongside David Tyree’s catch and Stephane’s Matteau’s goal on the list of the best moments in New York sports history. Karl Anthony Towns can no longer be clowned by the media as he helped to carry this team since round one, a player and person who everyone should be happy for after all he has been through off the floor over the last several years. Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, the other two members of the Villanova trio, will be beloved as well for their heart, hustle, and statistical contributions along the way. Hart helped to define this team’s identity and Bridges, who had a fabulous playoff run, will forever be worth the picks the Knicks sent across town to the Nets to acquire him. Mitchell Robinson was the first guy through the wall, he was here when they won 17 games, and now he lifts the trophy. Jose Alvarado came from balling on the playgrounds of NYC to balling at MSG. There are many more where that came from, but the best way to sum this group up is, they were the champions this city deserved, and they will go down as one of the most iconic and beloved teams in NYC history.

In closing I’d like to leave you all with this. What the Knicks did this spring was not about silencing haters, or celebrities (though we love them and can’t wait for Stiller’s doc), or making the Spurs and Wemby miserable (though that was so much fun). What this 2026 team did was prove the awesome and UNITING power sports can have in the world. In a time where society is so bitterly divided and there is such tension and anger and frustration in day-to-day life this team of destiny bonded a city and region together more than any of the other eight local teams are capable of doing. They washed away some of the pains or frustrations that everyday life brings right now for people and had them believing in something and sharing in a real lived experience along the way. I started this blog with the intention of highlighting the best of sports and the good it can do it in the world, and I am so proud to be a Knicks fan writing this story in this moment. I’ve followed this team since 2010 and all that makes me is a not so long-suffering Knicks fan, many of you out pace me in the pain department, but this win was for us all. So, enjoy this one, don’t worry about the offseason, or next year or the next five years. Soak in every moment, we earned it…and see you at the parade on Thursday!

On twitter you can find Mike @Mike_Sheerin, Tyler @TMon_19 and Sean @SeanMartinNFL. Subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner and entering your email address. Check out our Instagram feed @thebroadwaybreakdownsports for special gameday and promotional content. Our podcasts are available on Spotify. Visit the Rangers Ed Shop by clicking the link on our homepage. Check out our mailbag page to join the conversation here on the site and on our partners show, The Rangers Ed Podcast! We’ll be back with more soon.