NBA Finals Clincher
New York Knicks Lead NBA Finals 2-0; Game 5 Could Clinch First Title Since 1973
The New York Knicks are one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought. Tonight, June 13, Game 5 of the NBA Finals tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The Knicks lead the series 3-1 against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Knicks arrive in San Antonio riding the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. In Game 4, they erased a 29-point deficit to win 107-106 on an OG Anunoby tip-in with 1.2 seconds left. Al Jazeera called it "a true all-timer" that rewrote the record books.
Knicks Erase 29-Point Hole to Seize Control
Game 4 on June 10 looked like a Spurs blowout early. San Antonio built a 29-point lead in the first half — the third-largest halftime advantage in Finals history. Then the Knicks flipped the script completely.
Jalen Brunson scored 36 points to lead the charge. OG Anunoby added 33 points and grabbed the decisive put-back with seconds remaining. After the game, Brunson warned the job is not done: "You have to bring your best effort because even if you do, it may not happen on the road," he said, according to Sportsnet.
How the Knicks Won the First Two Games in San Antonio
The Knicks started the series by stealing home-court advantage. In Game 1 on June 3, they won 105-95 as Karl-Anthony Towns neutralized Victor Wembanyama in the paint. Two days later, the Knicks won Game 2 by a single point, 105-104.
Brunson hit a go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left after a Wembanyama turnover sealed it. That made the Knicks just the third team in NBA history to win the first two Finals games on the road, NWPB reported. The Spurs won Game 3 at Madison Square Garden behind a 35-point Wembanyama performance before falling apart in Game 4.
Wembanyama and the Spurs Face Elimination at Home
Victor Wembanyama has been the Spurs' brightest light in a tough series. He averaged 24 points in Game 4 alone. But late-game turnovers have haunted him. De'Aaron Fox's layup attempt in the final seconds of Game 4 was blocked by Anunoby, sealing New York's win, according to Sports Illustrated.
Wembanyama stayed composed publicly. "We can't change the past. We're already thinking about Game 5," he said, per Sportsnet. Young guard Dylan Harper added 21 points off the bench in Game 4 but admitted: "Can't get comfortable with a lead. It's the NBA Finals. Anything could happen."
A 53-Year Wait, Record Ratings, and a Canyon of Heroes
The last time the Knicks won a championship was 1973. A win tonight would end the longest drought in New York sports history. It would also trigger an estimated $50 million boost to the New York City economy, including a victory parade through the Canyon of Heroes.
The series is already a TV phenomenon. Average viewership for the 2026 Finals sits at 19.6 million — the highest since the 1998 Bulls-Jazz "Last Dance" Finals, according to BasketNews. Knicks fans have flooded the secondary ticket market, with many traveling to San Antonio despite local efforts to keep seats in Spurs fans' hands.
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