Brunson’s 45-Point Masterpiece Delivers Knicks’ First Title in 53 Years — Parade Set for Thursday

For the first time since 1973, the New York Knicks are NBA champions — and New York City is already planning the celebration.

Jalen Brunson put together a performance for the ages in Game 5 on Saturday night at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, dropping 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting to lead the Knicks past Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, 94-90. The win sealed the series in five games and ended a half-century of heartbreak for a franchise that had not even reached the NBA Finals since 1999.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wasted no time locking in the victory lap. In a social media post on X, Mamdani wrote simply: “Parade. Thursday. Manhattan.” The city is expected to release route details and street closure information in the coming days.

How the Knicks Closed It Out

The game followed an increasingly familiar pattern for these playoffs: The Knicks fell behind early, then flipped a switch. San Antonio built a 16-point lead in the first half, but New York chipped away behind Brunson’s relentless scoring and a defensive clampdown in the fourth quarter.

Brunson logged 41 minutes, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Mikal Bridges contributed 14 points, and Josh Hart added 13. But it was the Knicks’ point guard who delivered the knockout blows, refusing to let another potential collapse define his team’s legacy.

For the Spurs, the loss was a brutal rerun. After blowing a 29-point lead in Game 4, they watched a second-half advantage evaporate in Game 5. Rookie Dylan Harper came off the bench to score 25 points for San Antonio, but it wasn’t enough to slow Brunson or extend the series.

The Drought Is Over

Knicks fans have waited 53 years for this moment. The franchise’s last championship came in 1973, when Willis Reed and Walt Frazier were still in their prime. Since then, New York had made only a handful of deep playoff runs — most notably in 1994 and 1999 — only to come up short each time.

This year, Brunson and company changed that narrative. They dismantled the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell in the Eastern Conference Finals, then took down a Spurs team that had been billed as the next great dynasty. Wembanyama, still just 22, is expected to be a force for years, but the Knicks’ veteran core refused to let this title wait any longer.

Fans across the city are already planning their parade routes. Bars from Midtown to the Bronx are stocking extra inventory. The party, as they say, is just getting started.