The drought is over and the Knicks are finally champions after over a half century of misery.

 

Many thought it would never happen in their lifetime. Many had no hope and believed the suffering would last an eternity. After Willis Reed and Walt “Clyde” Frazier ran off the court after downing the Lakers in game 5 of the 1973 NBA Finals, a silhouette casted a dark shadow. In between those 53 years were numerous playoff appearances, numerous deep playoff runs, numerous droughts of no postseason, some Hall of Famers, choking moments (literally), a lack of heart and hustle, misfortune and poor executive management decisions. Until Leon Rose acquired all five of the current starters. “The “architect” (Leon Rose) assembled a championship team with Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Mikal Bridges. A starting five that now rightfully so can be mentioned in the same sentence as Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dick Barnett, Bill Bradley, and Dave DeBusschere.

The 2026 Knicks had a no quit, never say die attitude and refused to lose. They knew the expectations coming into the season and they not only lived up to the hype but they virtually dominated. After losing to the Atlanta Hawks 107-106 in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden after a 12-point lead to start the fourth quarter evaporated then falling again in game 3 109-108 after storming back down 18 to take the lead to then get outlasted in the final minute, the Knicks appeared to be in trouble. Down two games to one it looked like the same old Knicks. But this group was different. This group was defiant. This group was resilient. And they didn’t lose another game for 6 and a half weeks. They won 13 in a row and didn’t lose a game again until game 3 of the NBA Finals.

They hammered out their opponents, downing the Hawks in 6 games, sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers, and sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals to earn their first trip to the NBA Finals since 1999 and the ninth appearance in the history of the tortured franchise. Five beat down wins of over 25-points, including a 51-point decimation of the Hawks in the clincher in game 6, a 30-point drubbing of the 76ers in the series deciding game in game 4, and a 37-point thrashing to conclude the sweep of the Cavaliers in game 4 to wipe away the misery from a year ago when they fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

It was precisely 363 days between game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals and game 1 of the 2026 Eastern Conference Finals, when a year ago the Knicks virtually collapsed and Madison Square Garden sounded like a morgue as Tyrese Haliburton reenacted the same choke sign that Reggie Miller used to taunt the Garden faithful in the 1990’s. A year later the Knicks furiously stormed back from a 22-point deficit to defeat the Cavaliers in overtime in game 1 of the ’26 ECF then pummeled them in the next three to take the Eastern Conference crown.

The same majestic moments ensued in the NBA Finals with a team that continued to have ice water in their veins and a flare for the dramatic. In game 1 in San Antonio, the Knicks were down 14 points at halftime and rallied back in the second half, taking a lead in the waning minutes to win 105-95.

In game 2, the Knicks held a double-digit lead though the Spurs came back to take a lead inside the final minute. Then a Spurs turnover and foul with 9.5 remaining and a missed bucket with 2 seconds remaining which could have been Victor Wembanyama’s signature moment to go down in playoff lore failed as the ball veered off the bank of the rim and the Knicks led 2 games to none.

In game 3 at MSG the Knicks trailed the majority of the game but closed the gap towards the conclusion and ended up only losing by 4 points as the thirteen game win streak was halted.

Then on Wednesday July 10, the basketball deities smiled upon the Knicks at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” Down 29 points in the second half the Knicks rallied back to win 107-106 in which was the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. It bordered on the surreal in a moment that no one had ever witnessed on a stage that grand and sent New York into euphoria as the Knicks led the series 3 games to 1.

One last comeback was in store for game 5 in San Antonio as the Knicks erased a 16-point second half deficit as the Knicks won 94-90 to win the NBA Finals as Jalen Brunson scored 45 points (15 in the fourth quarter.) Brunson earned MVP honors averaging 32.6 PPG, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 39.2 minutes. The Knicks went 16-3 in the NBA playoffs; two of the losses were by 1 point and the third was by 4. In the Knicks 16 victories, 12 were by double digit margins including where in the 22-point comeback in game 1 vs. Cleveland, New York ended up winning by 11 (115-104) in overtime and when they came through with the pressure on in San Antonio in game 1 of the finals to outlast the Spurs in the waning minutes the Knicks won the contest on the hardcourt by 10.

The whole Tri-state area has gone bonkers in a state of bliss as the New York Knicks have reached the nirvana to win the NBA Finals and extinguish over five decades of anguish. You can call them miracle workers, you can call them clutch performers, you can call them dominant, you can use adjectives such as heart, hustle, and grit but just call them NBA champions, that’s a phrase that nearly three generations of Knicks fans have never heard and now for many their hearts are healed.

photos courtesy of the New York Knicks