A big celebration broke out in New York after the title was secured on Saturday local time. The city has been waiting since 1973 for an NBA title, and the Knicks have long underperformed. It was noticeable in Manhattan.
CNN reported an intense celebration late Sunday local time. In Times Square, parked school buses were overturned and fireworks were set off. Around 2 a.m., things escalated on Sixth Avenue when several police cars were attacked and their windshields were smashed. According to Reuters, at least one school bus was set on fire. In addition, a 17-year-old was shot in the foot, according to a police officer. Three people have been arrested.
Celebrities on site
By then, a few hours had passed since the game in Texas. With famous Knicks fans like director Spike Lee and movie star Timothée Chalamet in attendance in San Antonio, New York managed to come back from a big deficit and win the game - just like several times before during the finals series.
In the fourth game of the Finals, New York was down by 29 points but was able to come back and win. This time, the Knicks were down by as much as 16 points before the turnaround came.
But it was only in the fourth quarter of the fifth game of the Finals that New York took over the initiative and was able to win, 94–90.
“Have no words”
The main architect of the victory was guard Jalen Brunson, who scored a whopping 45 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter. He had tears in his eyes when he was interviewed by ESPN after the game.
"Every time someone has counted us out, we've found a way to come back," Jalen Brunson told ESPN after the game.
"I have no words. This is everything I've ever dreamed of."
