Brunson didn't "light up the scoreboard," yet New York Knicks claimed the NBA 2025-2026 championship

This marks the Knicks' first NBA championship since 1973.

New York Knicks officially wrapped up the season NBA 2025-2026 with a 94-90 victory in the fifth game of the Finals series against the San Antonio Spurs on the morning of June 14 (Vietnam time).

Notably, the Knicks' win came on the opponent's home court at Frost Bank, with the Spurs needing a win to keep their hopes of turning the series around alive.

Both teams played cautiously with solid defense, while their offenses lacked sharpness, resulting in a less explosive fifth game in terms of scoring. The Spurs dominated the first quarter, and even though the Knicks won the second quarter and trimmed the deficit to five points by halftime, the advantage still leaned toward Victor Wembanyama and his teammates until the final period.

At the crucial moment of the game, the Spurs players could not stop Jalen Brunson—the Knicks' top star—from shining. In the fourth quarter alone, Brunson scored 15 points, including a play where he drew three free throws to give New York an 86-85 lead.

From that point on, the Knicks fully took control, capitalizing on their opportunities, while the young Spurs players couldn't even make free throws, and the most experienced player, De'Aaron Fox, continued to underperform. Wembanyama fouled out Karl-Anthony Towns early with six personal fouls, but Towns' replacement—Mitchell Robinson—made a key offensive rebound that helped the Knicks maintain their lead until the end.

Brunson was the standout performer with 45 points on 52% shooting, hitting 4 of 7 three-pointers, and he will claim the prestigious Finals MVP award. OG Anunoby— the hero of Game 4 for the Knicks —had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals; Josh Hart recorded a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds; and Mikal Bridges also made his mark with 14 points.

On the opposing side, superstar Wembanyama also posted a double-double: 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks; the Filipino-born young talent Dylan Harper scored 25 points, but Fox and Stephon Castle had forgettable performances.

New York Knicks finished the series in five games, stealing two road games to take an early 2-0 lead, then allowing the opponent to reclaim one home game, before extending the lead to 3-1 after an incredible Game 4 comeback from a 29-point deficit.

Finally, Jalen Brunson made no mistakes to close out the Finals series, bringing New York its first NBA championship since 1973, and also the first NBA title for most of the current Knicks players, except for Anunoby—who won with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.