After a 53-year wait, the NBA title belongs to the...
Key takeaways
- Through the throngs of fans assembled outside the Garden.
- For 53 years, this wasn't New York's place in the basketball universe.
- NEW YORK CITY has delivered a who's who list of memorable champions throughout the past half-century.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Through the throngs of fans assembled outside the Garden. Through watch parties scattered across Manhattan's West Village, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island. An entire city and surrounding tri-state area reveling in the largest comeback in Finals history.
And while OG Anunoby's game-winning tip-in didn't get the Knicks all the way there -- it took another three days and roughly 1,500 miles to officially crown the champs in Game 5 -- generations of heartbreak, disappointment and grief seemingly evaporated with every moment of New York's 29-point comeback.
For 53 years, this wasn't New York's place in the basketball universe. It might be The City Game, but it hasn't been this city's game in a long while. Until now.