Category: NBA

There’s one feeling nobody who is a fan of the Phoenix Suns has ever experienced: the pure elation that comes with winning the final game of the NBA season. And now another season has come and gone. The 58th season in Phoenix Suns history is officially over as the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs 4-1, capturing their first NBA championship since 1973.

For most fan bases, moments like this are a celebration. A chance to relive memories and reflect on what it felt like when their team finally climbed the mountain. Suns fans don’t have that luxury. Every June serves as a reminder that Phoenix has never won the final game of an NBA season. Despite decades of success, Hall of Famers, MVPs, Finals appearances, and more than 2,500 victories, that one box remains unchecked.

It’s what makes being a Suns fan unique. You learn to celebrate the journey because you’ve never been rewarded with the destination.

As the Knicks celebrate their first title in more than five decades, Suns fans are left doing what they’ve always done this time of year: watching someone else hold the trophy while hoping that one day, somehow, it’ll finally be Phoenix’s turn. When you watch the postgame celebrations, hear the speeches, see the smiles, and watch players lift the trophy, you can’t help but feel a little jealous.

Sure, it’s been 53 years since the Knicks last won a championship. Most of their fans weren’t even alive the last time it happened. But for the Suns, it simply never has. So when you watch those moments unfold, there’s a bit of envy. That’s only natural. At the same time, there’s also happiness for the players who once wore your jersey and now get to experience the feeling that every player and fan chases.

Two former members of the Phoenix Suns won a championship tonight: Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet.

The relationship with Shamet had become complicated by the end of his time in Phoenix. Expectations were high, especially for a player making $9.5 million a season, and he never quite delivered the way many hoped he would. Still, he’s part of the fraternity. He wore the uniform, and now he’s an NBA champion.

Then there’s Mikal Bridges. That’s different. That’s the one that tugs at the heartstrings.

Mikal was beloved from the moment he arrived in Phoenix. He embodied everything fans wanted in a player. He worked hard, played every night, smiled constantly, and became a foundational piece of a team that made a run to the NBA Finals.

When he was traded, Suns fans felt it. And tonight, seeing him hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy, it’s hard not to feel a little joy for him. Maybe a little sadness, too. But mostly joy.

Because while Suns fans continue waiting for that moment to arrive for their own franchise, it’s nice to see someone who meant so much to the organization finally experience what it’s like to stand at the top of the basketball world. Mikal Bridges, who has never missed a game in his NBA career, was the definition of an iron man during his time in Phoenix. He spent five seasons with the organization and was one of the young cornerstones who helped lead the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance in 28 years in 2021.

When he was traded for Kevin Durant, it hurt.

At the time, most of us understood the logic. You were acquiring one of the greatest players of his generation in an effort to chase a championship. But now that the dust has settled, the fallout has played out, and Durant has been gone from Phoenix for over a season, it’s hard not to revisit that decision and wonder what might have been. You can’t help but feel like something was lost. At the same time, it’s impossible not to be happy for Mikal.

He’s continued to grow outside of Phoenix. He’s continued to prove why so many Suns fans loved him in the first place. And now he adds something else to his résumé. NBA champion. So congratulations, Mikal Bridges. The city of Phoenix is rooting for you. And while it stings that this moment didn’t happen with you wearing a Suns uniform, we’re happy to see you experience it nonetheless.

More than anything, we hope that one day Suns fans can know exactly what you’re feeling right now.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared that there would be a parade Thursday to celebrate the Knicks championship victory.

“Parade. Thursday. Manhattan,” Mamdani posted on X.

The Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years when they triumphed over the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 Saturday.

A once-top target for John Groce’s Illinois staff has now won NBA Finals MVP.

Jalen Brunson was the one of the top players in the 2015 class out of Stevenson (Lincolnshire) after winning the IHSA 4A state title.

Brunson’s decision came down to the Illini and Villanova in late 2014. He went with the Wildcats.

Brunson went on to win two titles with Villanova and famously graduated in three years before darting for the NBA where he spent time with the Mavericks before joining the Knicks.

Now, Brunson may be proclaimed the best player in the world after scoring 45 points in Saturday’s Game 5 to lift New York to its first NBA title in 53 years.

Imagine the world where he committed to Illinois.

Is Groce still here? Does Illinois find a way to get back to the tourney sooner? Do we ever get Ayo, then Kofi, then TSJ, then KJ/Will, then Keaton?

Probably not.

It still probably ends poorly, just a few years later for Groce, meaning Brad Underwood never arrives in Champaign, and we’re in a totally different timeline.

Congrats to (my high school classmate) Jalen and the Knicks! I think it worked out in the long run for all of the parties involved.

The Spurs kept following the same recipe.

One for disaster.

After Game 4 of the NBA Finals saw them choke away a 29-point lead at the Garden, the Spurs again let a double-digit lead slip away with an ugly second half on Saturday night, particularly a bad fourth quarter, in their season-ending 94-90 loss at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.

The Knicks outscored San Antonio 29-18 in the final quarter as the Spurs fell apart at the seams.

But things seemed to unravel a bit before that. After Stephon Castle hit a free throw with 2:25 left in the third quarter, the Spurs went up 70-55 and appeared to be shutting down any hopes of a Knicks comeback.

Victor Wembanyama, the all-world Spurs big man, basically disappeared in the fourth quarter, going 1-for-5 from the field.

In just the final two minutes, he missed one of his two free throws and clanked two 3-point attempts to all but seal the Knicks’ victory.

He had a team-high 19 points with 14 rebounds, but it was not enough as the Knicks stormed back once again to take their first title since 1973. It was eerily similar to how he closed out Game 4, when he had just two points with no rebounds in the final 9:30.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, who saw his team leading late in every single game of this series, summed up the Finals rather succinctly after it was all said and done.

“We weren’t ready to win an NBA championship. The better team won,” he said.

It was nearly a home game. According to TickPick data, New York and New Jersey residents bought 45% of the tickets to Game Five in San Antonio. You could hear it in the opening minutes, when the ‘Bocker backers were just as loud as the Spurs fanatics.

Unfortunately, the visiting team didn’t give a lot to cheer about early on. Once again, the Knicks fell behind by double digits. They scored the fewest first-quarter points of the season, down 23-13, and trailed at halftime, 42-37. But the Knicks can never be counted out when Captain Jalen Brunson wears an orange and blue cape. Scoring 45 (rest of team: 49), Jalen led the troops on another rally, this time from 16 down. With big shots in the fourth and big misses by the Spurs, the Knicks pulled ahead with three minutes to go and held for a 94-90 win.

Hang the banner! They’re the champs!

Each team stumbled through the first two minutes. The Knicks missed four shots, while the Spurs missed one and turned the ball over before Wemby dunked around 9:30 and Jalen Brunson answered with a three-ball. From there the Knicks continued to brick (missing 13 of their initial 15 shots) and fell behind by six before OG Anunoby hit a catch-up corner three. At the midway point, coach Mike Brown, hoping to get some offensive mojo working, subbed Landry Shamet for OG. Harper worked Shamet for a layup, and then Landry was way off from deep as the shot clock expired. That ShamWow magic was all tapped out, apparently.

Going up by double digits, the home team scored 12 of their first-quarter points in the paint, while New York had scored none. The home-viewing audience saw a lot of contact on the court, but the refs—much closer to the action—saw very few fouls to call. Perhaps that had something to do with Scott “The Extender” Foster heading the officiating crew.

Brown sent Anunoby back in and swapped Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns for Alvarado and Mitchell Robinson.

Through the first four games, New York had not managed more than 25 points in a quarter, while San Antonio had averaged 34. Tonight was the ugliest first frame yet. The visitors had just 10 points before Brunson swished from deep with a minute left. When the period concluded, both teams had recorded their lowest first-quarter point totals of the series. Spurs up, 23-13.

This was the entirety of the Knicks offense. All of it:

• Brunson: 25-foot three-pointer
• Anunoby: Corner three
• Anunoby: Two free throws
• Brunson: 11-foot step-back jumper
• Brunson: 27-foot three-pointer

To start the second quarter, Wemby blocked Alvarado on the perimeter and then stuffed Shamet in the lane, while Julian Champagnie made the deficit 13 at the other end. The Spurs applied full-court pressure, and the Knicks had trouble getting the ball across midcourt, let alone putting it in the hoop. Rookie Dylan Harper made free throws for a 15-point advantage. When Wemby hit from the corner, it was 16. Mike Brown needed a timeout to regroup the troops.

Brunson, Bridges, and Hart combined for a 17-7 run that brought the differential back to six with about 2:30 left in the half. The Spurs’ defense, which rocketed out of the gate like angry pit bulls, began to lose a step. When Anunoby nicked a Stephon Castle pass, Hart took it all the way for a layup—and Fox, trailing, shoved him from behind with two hands for a flagrant-1. It was a reckless play by Fox. The Knicks fans present erupted at the announcement, then again when Hart made the free throw, and then again when Bridges floated a bucket over Wembanyama.

Thanks to a buzzer-beater in traffic by Devin Vassell, the Spurs took a 42-37 lead into halftime. Stunned by those numbers? Us, too! That was the fewest points scored by the Knicks in a first half this season.

The glaring number is points in the paint: 18-6 Spurs. That’s a big gap, especially when neither team could shoot straight. The hosts had made two more field goals than the guests. The Knicks actually shot better from three (37% to 29%), thanks to Brunson making 3-of-4. On the glass, the Spurs held a 26-23 edge overall and had nine second-chance points. The Spurs had 14 bench points, the Knicks none. Turnovers, assists, and points off turnovers were essentially even. New York had taken 44 shots and scored only six paint points. Brunson led all scorers with 16; Harper led the Spurs with 11.

To start the third quarter, Towns was immediately dinged for a soft elbow on Wemby (who preceded that with a push-off). The Extender was all over it, whistling Karl’s fourth penalty of the night and sending him to the bench.

A few moments later, Wemby scored on a dunk, and Robinson pushed him gently from behind, earning the same flagrant-1 that Fox did earlier. Those two fouls by their centers were momentum killers for the Knicks. Wemby hit the freebie, Champagnie made a three, and Wemby made a bucket to make the hole 12 again. A Bridges three-pointer and a Brunson jumper cut it back to seven, and the see-saw continued.

Ariel Hukporti checked in around the eight-minute mark, but not for long—Wemby took the bench, and Brown opted for Shame, hoping for that elusive offensive surge.

At around the 5:30 mark, Wembanyama clearly violated Brunson’s landing area on a three-point attempt. Jalen landed on his foot, turning his ankle. The refs swallowed their whistle on the obvious flagrant. Why? Because it would have been his fourth flagrant-foul point and suspended him from Game Six.

Here’s a convenient place to drop this fun fact: Financial analysts tracking deep postseason runs note that a single Finals game hosted in a premier arena can clear $20 million or more in total building revenue. (h/t Inc. Magazine.) The league takes a 25% cut of all gate receipts from playoff games. Plus, economic impact studies frequently show that hosting a single Finals game can inject tens of millions of dollars into a city’s local ecosystem.

On the next sequence, Bridges was poked IN THE EYE DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF FOSTER, but yet again, no whistle. The Spurs fans chanted DE-FENSE, but it should have been FOS-TER! With the Knicks playing 5-on-6, the Spurs went ahead by 15.

Send your thoughts to asilver@nba.com. Maybe, if the NBA believes in ethical basketball, they will assess a belated flagrant on Wemby after reviewing the game.

Throughout the Finals, Shamet, McBride, and Clarkson have been mostly negatives. That continued tonight. One bench player who gave New York positive minutes was Hukporti, who blocked Kornet at the rim and fought for a timely offensive board.

Hart hit a triple, Brunson hit three freebies, and Robinson tipped in a Brunson miss to make the score 72-65 after three.

The teams traded buckets to start the final frame. Shamet hit a three—finally—and Vassell answered. Early in the quarter, Hart blocked a driving Vassell and called for a foul. Brown challenged it. Even though Hart contacted the ball first, the challenge was unsuccessful. Send your thoughts to asilver@nba.com.

Shamet hurt his ankle coming down for a layup and exited the game. Hate to see him injured, but it might have been the only to stop Brown from playing him!

Wemby was actually called for a loose ball foul, then Brunson took him to the woodshed for a difficult finger roll. The score was 83-79 at the midway mark. Towns picked up his fifth foul around then, shoving Wemby from behind into Hart. That meant Robinson was back in the game when New York needed an offensive push to keep the game close or even go ahead.

Brunson made two free throws and a freight train layup to cap a 10-0 run. All knotted up at 83 with four and change remaining. Vassell made a jumper for a lead, but then fouled Brunson on a three (and violated his landing space, but shhh). Captain Clutch made all three freebies and took the lead. Fox missed on a pull-up, Robinson grabbed the board, and Brown called a timeout to beat Mitch Johnson to a Hack-A-Mitch.

Brunson was dinged for an offensive foul, and the Spurs missed a couple of point blank at the iron. They’d missed nine of their last ten shots, and then Vassell goaltended on an Anunoby dunk. 88-85 with two minutes left.

At the other end, Towns fouled out when called for an offensive foul when Wemby charged into him. Wemby missed one of two, and the Knicks fans were delirious. Harper and Cap traded buckets, and with a minute left, the Knicks lead was two. Hart missed from yard, Harper got the ball and ran the length of the floor, but blew the game tying layup with 27 seconds on the clock.

Hart was fouled and made the first. He missed the second, but Mitchell Robinson hauled in the biggest rebound of his career. The ball kicked out to Anunoby, who was fouled and made one of two. This time Vassell grabbed the board and called a timeout. Knicks up, 92-88. Just 20 seconds left.

Out of the break, the Spurs ran the same play the Knicks did to win Game Four—Castle inbounded, then dunked the putback of a Wemby miss. It was Castle’s first field goal of the night, after missing nine straight.

Out of the Knicks timeout, Brunson was mauled at halfcourt by Wemby and Harper but Foster ignored it. The ball finally reached Bridges, who was given a foul. At the line, Bridges missed the first but canned the second. 93-90. Spurs timeout, nine seconds left.

Shamet (back in the game) fouled Harper, and the rookie, who led his team with 25 points, wilted in the moment. He missed both, then fouled the rebounding Anunoby. OG missed one, made one, and the game ended with Wembanyama missing from deep. How fitting.

The Larry O’Brien trophy was presented. Jalen Brunson was named the MVP. Karl-Anthony Towns was finally a champion. The remaining Knicks fans at the Frost Bank Center celebrated. I cried. You cried. And after 53 years of wandering the desert, we finally made it home.

Up Next

Thank you for an amazing season, you beautiful Knickerbockers. The great Matthew Miranda has the recap. See y’all at the parade.

Box Score

New York City was plunged into chaos as thousands of revelers flooded the streets of Midtown after the Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years.

The out-of-control Knicks fans were seen smashing up a cop car outside of Madison Square Garden, while others destroyed MTA and school buses among the madness in the hours after New York’s historic win on Saturday night.

Two maniacs were seen jumping on top of the car and smashing up its front windshield , according to a video posted byFreedomNews TV.

Fans converged into the area around the arena to celebrate the Knicks 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

In another wild scene captured on video, NYPD officers took down a crazed fan and shoved several others back outside the garden.

The detained man, wearing a Knicks Finals sweatshirt, was handcuffed and escorted away but appeared to have been let go and ordered onto a sidewalk.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many people had been arrested amidst the chaos as of early Sunday.

A Spurs fan had hopped into a police vehicle in an attempt to escape the packed Knicks crowd that had surrounded it.

Hundreds of NYPD officers in riot gear raced into the area, pushing the rabble-rousers off of W31st Street.

The surging officers detained several people, taking them to the ground as the rest of the crowd ran off the street, according to video posted on X.

Officers on horseback took over an intersection on 8th Avenue, trying to disperse the crowd outside of the arena.

Officers say they haven’t worn this much protection in the streets of the city since COVID

“I’ve been doing this job for 20 years and I’ve never had to wear riot gear,” one officer told The Post outside MSG. 

A frenzied mass spread to Times Square to continue the celebration, where dozens of people, some decked out in Knicks gear, climbed on top of an MTA bus 

Two school buses and an MTA bus were taken over by rowdy groups as the madness turned chaotic after midnight.

Several instigators began to destroy one of the buses, ripping the front paneling from the engine compartment and swinging the debris to the approval of the delirious crowd, according to video shot by The Post.

At one point, a shirtless man spiked the engine grill cover onto the street before two other men jumped on top of it.

Knicks owner James Dolan cautioned fans to celebrate safely as he enjoyed his first championship with the team in San Antonio.

“We want everybody tonight, in New York, be safe,” Dolan told reporters in the post-game press conference. “OK, celebrate, but be safe.”

Knicks fans across the state raced down to the city Saturday to watch the final game on the streets of New York.

“It feels amazing,” Yanal Zeid told The Post. “The city is electrified right now. There’s no further of coming together than this. This is the most you will see a city come together. We are bonding, we’re completely tied together now. It’s amazing.”

This is a breaking story. Please check back for updates.

Jalen Brunson carried the Knicks in the fourth quarter — just as he has since he’s arrived in New York.

Brunson made shot after shot as the Knicks clawed their way back from another deficit against the Spurs to claim Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 94-90.

Brunson, who finished with 45 points and was unanimously named NBA Finals MVP, was emotional in his postgame interview on ESPN.

“I don’t know what I am feeling. I’m in awe. Whenever people counted us out, we came back and did something about it,” Brunson said.

The Spurs, once again, had the Knicks down double digits in Game 5 but New York pushed past them with a 29-18 fourth quarter to claim the franchise’s first championship in 53 years.

“My confidence comes from my work ethic,” the 29-year-old Brunson said. “All I can think of is all the hours in the summer, every summer since I ever can remember making this a reality. I’d just be alone in the gym.”

Brunson did not have an answer for what it meant to accomplish this goal with his father, Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson.

ESPN’s Lisa Salters said the answer was obvious as tears streamed down Brunson’s face as a picture-in-picture showed Rick joyously celebrating.

“You can see it,” Brunson said, repeating Salters’ line.

Five times, the San Antonio Spurs led by at least 12 points in the 2026 NBA Finals.

Four times, the New York Knicks said “I don’t think so.”

On Saturday, the Knicks rallied from down 16 to score a 94-90 victory over the Spurs and close out the Finals, 4-1. It’s New York’s first title since 1973.

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, ALL OF THIS MEANS THAT FORMER MARQUETTE STAR AND 2023 BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE YEAR TYLER KOLEK IS AN NBA CHAMPION!

Did TK play in the Finals? Mind your business! All that matters is that he’s getting a ring and that’s awesome. Is it more or less awesome than noted Villanova guy Jalen Brunson putting up 45 points in the closeout game and dragging the Knicks across the finish line at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Saturday night? I’ll let you decide.

Stay tuned for Tyler Kolek At The Knicks Parade updates!

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The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game Five of the NBA Finals to win their first NBA Championship since 1973. Despite building a 16-point lead, the Spurs allowed the Knicks to storm back in the fourth quarter in a 94-90 loss. It’s the first time in franchise history that San Antonio lost the Finals on its home court.

The Spurs’ offense struggled all game, but particularly in the fourth quarter. San Antonio scored just 18 points compared to the Knicks 29 points in the final frame. Neither team shot the ball particularly well from the field, but New York had the best player in the building in Jalen Brunson. The Knicks’ star guard had 45 points on 14-27 shooting from the field.

San Antonio’s starting backcourt was ice cold, as De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle combined for 13 points on 4-25 shooting from the field. They got a boost off the bench from Dylan Harper, who led the Spurs in scoring with 25 points in 31 minutes. Victor Wembanyama started the game on a roll, but couldn’t find his footing in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks on 7-19 shooting from the field.

In this young core’s first postseason, they took their run all the way to the NBA Finals. With one of the best players in the league in Wembanyama, a solid young supporting cast, and plenty of assets to work with, San Antonio could be fighting for a championship in the years to come.

Observations:

• The game took on a familiar form. The Spurs got up big in the first quarter by playing elite defense and moving the ball well on offense. As the game went along, and the physicality of the Knicks started to set in, the Spurs got away from what made them successful. The ball movement stopped, and their defense couldn’t keep up with their lack of offense.
• In the biggest game of the season, the Spurs needed more from their starting backcourt. Fox and Castle never found a rhythm. Neither of them got clean looks at the rim, and their shots completely abandoned them. To make matters worse, they didn’t get their teammates involved either. Fox finished the game with 5 assists, and Castle finished with 4.
• Wembanyama is going to be the focus for a lot of people coming out of the loss. He was absent for a lot of the fourth quarter offensively, going 1-5 from the field during the final frame. Wembanyama didn’t get many clean looks at the hoop late as the Knicks sold out, leaving other Spurs open to make sure he didn’t have easy lanes to the basket. He passed out of a lot of shots late as he struggled to create his own shot.
• Once again, San Antonio didn’t seem to have the advantage in front of their home crowd. The Spurs got BOOED when they took the floor. The post-game celebration was filled with Knicks fans. It seemed to play a factor for most of the series.
• One player who donned the Silver and Black this season won a ring: Jeremy Sochan.

A simple “Bang!” wouldn’t have done it justice.

Mike Breen, ESPN’s lead broadcast voice for the NBA Finals and the longtime voice of the Knicks for MSG Network, got to make arguably the biggest call of his play-by-play career on Saturday night.

“It’s over! It’s over! Knick fans, this is not a dream!” Breen, a Yonkers native, said as the clock ticked down on the Knicks’ 94-90 win in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, a victory that gave them their first title since 1973. “Your long, long wait is ended. Go ahead and cry: after 53 years, the Knicks are finally NBA Champions once again!”

The 65-year-old, well-known for his iconic “Bang!” call to signify a big-shot shot, knew he’d have to keep his composure as the clock ticked to zero on a potential Knicks championship.

“The No. 1 thing for me is I’ve got a job to do, and I have to do a professional job,” Breen said on a media call ahead of the NBA Finals. “And with all the responsibilities that go into it, both prior and during the course of the series, that’s what I’m concentrating on now.

“As the series goes on every year, no matter who’s in it, you try and think of OK, how am I going to word this? How am I going to wrap up, summarize, what this means to the winning team, what it means to the losing team, and you wait ’til the series goes on before you really get into those thoughts.”

Still, the man who grew up a Knicks fan and attended Fordham University in the Bronx, was not entirely ready to think about the possibility.

“I do know what it would mean to the city and to the fans of the city,” he said. “It might be one of the great moments in the history of New York sports if they win because of what the fan base has gone through and how loyal they’ve been to the team.

“As for my emotions, it’s hard to predict that.”

No need to try to anymore.

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama needs to be very careful about flagrant fouls in the NBA Finals. And in Game 5, he may have gotten away with one.

Midway through the third quarter Saturday, June 13, Wembanyama jumped to contest a 3-point attempt from Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson. During Wembanyama’s closeout, he approached Brunson’s landing area, leading to Brunson landing on Wembanyama’s right foot.

Officials opted not to call a foul on Wembanyama, which normally would’ve induced a review to see if it constituted a reckless closeout.

Jalen Brunson cashes the three with Wemby in his landing space 😮 pic.twitter.com/POudeDKHYz

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2026

Brunson was extremely upset with officials and ran over to argue. A closer look at the play, however, showed that Brunson kicked his leg out in a somewhat unnatural motion.

Wembanyama is currently sitting at 3 flagrant points, and any additional flagrant foul penalty — 1 or 2 — would trigger an automatic one-game suspension.

So, while it would seem Wembanyama may have skirted past a suspension, the NBA can still issue one retroactively, since it reviews prior games. If the NBA deems that the play indeed merited a reckless closeout and a flagrant foul, it can upgrade that play, which would result in the suspension.

Victor Wembanyama was on thin ice entering Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals. The Spurs superstar only needed one more flagrant foul to trigger the automatic suspension that comes with four “flagrant points” throughout the playoffs.

It sure felt like Wembanyama committed a textbook flagrant foul in the third quarter of Game 5 for crowding Jalen Brunson’s landing spot on a made three-pointer, but the refs didn’t call it. The NBA can review and upgrade calls after the game, and if the league decides that this is indeed a flagrant, Wembanyama would miss a hypothetical Game 6.

Watch the play here.

This is the classic “Zaza Pachulia rule” — the league mandated that it’s a flagrant foul if a defender doesn’t give a jump shooter landing space after Pachulia injured Kawhi Leonard on a similar play in 2017.

The league already decided not to upgrade Wembanyama’s cheap shot on Brunson earlier in the series, and that sure felt like a flagrant, too. It would be a monumental bummer if Wembanyama missed a hypothetical Game 6 in Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, but the rules are the rules. I think the four flagrant points is far too few for a suspension in the deep playoff run, but that’s how the rules are written.

It will be fascinating to see if this play is upgraded. If it is, Wembanyama won’t be playing if there’s a Game 6 in the NBA Finals.

You'd be forgiven if you watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday and think it's being played at Madison Square Garden; that's how big a presence Knicks fans are trying to make themselves known in San Antonio.

Basketball fans know Knicks fans travel well, but this is different. The Knicks are one win away from capturing their first championship in 53 years and fans want to be a part of it.

"Our fans have been fantastic all year. And during the playoffs, they’ve tried to show up and show out wherever we are," Knicks coach Mike Brown said before Game 5. "Not just in the arena, we see them walking around the area we’re staying in. We see them at the hotel. Just to know they are as enthused and rowdy as they are, it’s second to none. 

"We love having our fans, we love having them in the building, we love having them around. Hopefully they’ll be able to cheer just as loud as they are at home, here tonight."

Knicks fans were loud early on. As the Spurs had their pregame workouts, fans in their seats were booing Victor Wembanyama as he took his shots.

Knicks fans booing Wemby in San Antonio 😳

Game 5 on 8:30 ET on ABC and the ESPN App! pic.twitter.com/wYeNDloBEr

— ESPN (@espn) June 14, 2026

When the hometown Spurs took the court for pregame shootaround, Knicks fans booed San Antonio's team mercilessly. And they cheered for the Knicks as they took the court. 

How could this be? Well, Knicks fans bought nearly 50 percent of the tickets to Game 5. by fans in the NY/NJ area, According to Kyle Zorn of Tick Pick, fans from the New York and New Jersey area bought 45 percent of the tickets. 

Knicks fans have traveled to San Antonio in big numbers 👀 pic.twitter.com/xB74QdRMXn

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 14, 2026

Knicks fans already have a big presence pic.twitter.com/aPDg053LII

— Jared Schwartz (@jschwartz115) June 14, 2026

And of course, the Knicks fan celebs are in attendance. 

Fat Joe, Ben Stiller, Timothee Chalamet are in San Antonio and there's likely going to be more as we sit and wait to see if the Knicks can undo 50 years without a title on Saturday night.

Ben Stiller, Timothée Chalamet and Fat Joe are all in San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals ⭐ pic.twitter.com/qp7ca48Gi2

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 13, 2026

Charles Barkley doubled down on his criticism of the San Antonio Spurs after they blew a 29-point lead to the New York Knicks in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, but clarified who he was talking about.

Barkley, during the postgame of "Inside the NBA" after the Knicks' 107-106 victory, which gave New York a 3-1 series lead, called the Spurs the "dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization."

"That was some of the most mismanaged, stupid basketball," Barkley said. "When you blow a 29-point lead, the other team has to help you. The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game by doing some of the stupid(est) stuff I've seen on a basketball court."

More: Knicks vs. Spurs live updates, predictions, odds, how to watch Game 5

During the pregame show before Game 5, Barkley made it a point to say who he was directing his ire toward after he said a couple of NBA coaches had called him.

"When I said 'it was really dumb basketball' the other night, I was talking about the players," Barkley said. "I want to make it clear that I wasn't talking about Coach (Mitch Johnson)."

"When I said 'it was really dumb basketball' the other night, I was talking about the players.”

Charles Barkley on his criticism of the Spurs following Game 4. pic.twitter.com/L7xnxbK8jw

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 13, 2026

Johnson and his players were criticized for how they handled things in the second half, particularly their poor shot selection and lack of in-game awareness at the end.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Charles Barkley says Spurs players were target of 'dumbest team' quip

The Knicks return to the Frost Bank Center to face the Spurs in Game Five of the NBA Finals. They’ve already won there twice—Games One and Two—and are coming off a 29-point comeback for the ages to win Game Four at home. Now, with the Spurs stunned by another blow-lead and heartbreaking loss, the Knicks are ready to close this series out and take home the Larry O’Brien. Meanwhile, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are playing for pride with their season on the line.

Should be a helluva game. Tip-off is 8:30 pm EST on ABC. This is your game thread. This is Pounding the Rock. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Try not to lose your minds. And go Knicks!