New York closed out the NBA Finals with a 94-90 road victory over San Antonio in the fifth game, completing a 4-1 series win and securing the franchise's third championship. The title was New York's first since 1973.

Jalen Brunson led the comeback with 45 points and was named Finals MVP. His total set a Knicks record for scoring in a Finals game, passing Willis Reed's 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in 1970. Brunson scored 13 consecutive New York points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks recovered from another double-digit deficit.

San Antonio led by as many as 16 points in the second quarter. New York made only two of its first 18 shots and missed its first 11 two-point attempts, but a 22-9 run cut the gap before halftime. The Spurs led 42-37 after two quarters, with the teams combining for the lowest-scoring first half in a Finals game since 2010.

Mikal Bridges scored 14 and Josh Hart added 13 for New York. Dylan Harper led the Spurs with 25 points, while Victor Wembanyama recorded 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots. Wembanyama described the defeat as the biggest learning experience of his career.

The Knicks had trailed by double digits in each of their four wins in the series. Their Game 4 recovery was the largest in Finals history: New York came back from 29 points down and won 107-106 on an OG Anunoby tip-in with 1.2 seconds left. The Game 5 rally continued the same pattern in front of San Antonio's home crowd.

New York also finished the postseason 4-0 in closeout games, all played on the road. Its playoff run included 13 consecutive victories from Game 4 of the first round through Game 2 of the Finals, one short of the 2017 Golden State Warriors' 15-game postseason streak. The Knicks then responded to their lone Finals loss with two comeback wins.

Coach Mike Brown had taken charge only a year earlier. His roster combined Brunson's scoring with contributions from Bridges, Hart, Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and the bench. Sports Illustrated described that balance and resilience as central to a run in which New York lost only once between April 24 and June 13.

Celebrations began in New York as the team received the Larry O'Brien Trophy in Texas. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that the championship parade would take place the following Thursday. The victory ended a 53-year wait and added the 2026 team to the Knicks champions of 1970 and 1973.