The New York Knicks waited 53 years for another championship. Jalen Brunson made sure they didn’t wait any longer — and he did it in a way that only one other player in NBA history can claim.
In Saturday’s title-clinching 94-90 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Brunson dropped 45 points on 14-of-27 shooting, adding three rebounds, three assists and two steals in 41 minutes. According to StatMuse, that performance marked just the second 45-point game in an NBA Finals closeout game ever. The other belongs to Michael Jordan.
A Comeback For the Ages
The Spurs led by as many as 16 points in Game 5, and for most of the night it looked like the series would head back to San Antonio. But Brunson and the Knicks refused to fold. Much like their Game 4 rally, New York chipped away through the fourth quarter, finally snatching the lead late and slamming the door.
It wasn’t pretty — the Knicks shot just 42 percent from the field as a team — but Brunson’s relentless drives and pull-up jumpers kept the offense afloat when nothing else was working. He scored 15 points in the fourth quarter alone, outscoring the Spurs’ entire roster down the stretch.
Ending a Half-Century Drought
New York’s last title came in 1973, when Willis Reed and Walt Frazier were still in their primes. Since then, the franchise had become synonymous with dysfunction, bad contracts and playoff heartbreak. Brunson, who signed with the Knicks in 2022 after four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks, changed all that.
His arrival didn’t just make the Knicks relevant again — it made them champions. Teammates credited his leadership and calm under pressure as the difference-maker throughout the postseason. Former Villanova coach Jay Wright, who coached Brunson to two national titles, texted him before Game 5: ‘You were born for this.’
What It Means Going Forward
The Knicks now enter an offseason as defending champions, with a young core built around Brunson, Julius Randle and rising defensive star Quentin Grimes. Whether they can sustain this success will depend on roster decisions and health, but for one night — and for the first time in more than five decades — Madison Square Garden belongs to the kings of the NBA.
As for Brunson, he’ll never have to buy a drink in New York again. That’s a promise fans have already made clear.
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