Category: Sports News

It’s been five years since Mikal Bridges walked off the court in disappointment after the Phoenix Suns lost Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Now, Bridges finds himself one win away from finishing the job with the New York Knicks, as they are up 3-1 against the San Antonio Spurs with three chances to clinch.

It’s been a long journey for Bridges, who is about to wrap up his eighth season in the NBA. Just two seasons after helping the Suns reach the Finals, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a package for Kevin Durant, moving him to NYC.

That’s where Bridges’ career really began to take off as he averaged 21.2 points per game in 109 games across two seasons with the Nets. His value grew exponentially, so when the Nets found themselves in need of a reset, they traded him to the Knicks for five future first-round picks.

Since the trade, many have criticized the deal, saying the Knicks gave up too much for someone who likely won’t see an All-Star game in his career. He ranks fourth on the Knicks in scoring behind Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, but he brings more value to the team than scoring.

Bridges’ defense, consistency and toughness are why the Knicks traded their entire future. They had a championship in mind when they made the trade, and the prophecy can be fulfilled if they can win one more.

If the Knicks can win the championship, the trade will be forever justified and Bridges’ long quest for a ring will come to an end.

With 1,054 regular-season games and 177 postseason contests, it takes a lot to leave Dwyane Wade feeling “shocked.”

And that’s exactly what the Knicks did Wednesday in Game 4 when they set an NBA Finals record by rallying from a 29-point deficit to stun the Spurs and grab a 3-1 series lead.

“I was just stunned and shocked like — amazed,” the Basketball Hall of Famer told Page Six in an exclusive interview Friday at the Tribeca Festival in New York City. “I know, I’ve been in the Finals a few times, I understand the even-keeled-ness that you need to have, I understand the ebb and flow of games, but down 29, to come back versus a team that seemed to be in control, the way they did with the city, you can feel the energy in the building from your TV, it was incredible. You feel good for the state, you feel good for the city. New York is coming back to life and the Knicks are a big part of it.”

Wade, 44, won three championships in his career — all with Miami — and understands the grind it takes to win a championship.

This Knicks team somewhat mirrors his 2006 Miami team that most counted out against the Mavericks before the rallied from a 2-0 series hole to win their first championship.

Wade earned MVP honors in that series for his brilliance.

These Knicks did the reverse of that Heat team by winning the first two games of this series, both on the road, putting the Spurs in a spot no team had recovered from in Finals history.

Wade wouldn’t make a prediction on whether the Knicks will win their first championship in 53 years now that they stand just one win away, but he noticed the effect the team is having on New York City.

“I don’t know,” he told Page Six of the Knicks’ chances to win the title. “I’m just a fan watching. I just want to see great basketball. Whoever wins deserves it, both these teams obviously deserve to win. The Knicks, we here in the city, the city is buzzing, it’s hot, not just because of the heat but because of what the Knicks are doing, they got to get that fourth one. If they go get it, the deserve it and they earned it.”

Wade made his appearance Friday on the red carpet at the Tribeca Festival to support his friend and Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony, whose “Born Melo” documentary debuted.

The two became friends 23 years ago during the Final Four when Anthony led Syracuse to its only national title, while Wade’s Marquette team lost in the national semifinals.

Anthony claimed he helped the Knicks win Game 4 by mentioning how the offensive rebound would be there on the final possession before OG Anunoby tipped in the game-winning shot.

“It’s sweet,” Wade said of the friendship. “We connected then (during the Final Four) and he’s been my brother ever since. To be able go through the journey of life with someone and to always be there for each other away from the game of basketball and show up for each other, that’s all you can ask for.

“I’m excited to be here to support him and his family.”

The 2026 NBA Finals return to San Antonio for Game 5 between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

Jalen Brunson and the Knicks will have a chance to close out the series on the road, having already won the first two games in the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs and the Knicks split the two games held in New York, giving the Knicks a 3-1 lead.

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will have to crawl back into the series after the team gave up a 29-point lead and lost Game 4 on Wednesday, June 10.

MORE: The Spurs may have topped 28-3 as sports' most infamous collapse

The Knicks are searching for their first NBA championship since winning its only two in 1970 and 1973, but have already provided their fan base with a lot to be excited about after reaching the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

Here’s what NBA experts think will happen in Game 5 of the series:

Knicks vs. Spurs Game 5 predictions

USA TODAY staff: Spurs will stand strong at home

The USA TODAY Sports staff is in agreement that the Spurs will force a Game 6 on Tuesday in Madison Square Garden. Here are the picks:

Lorenzo Reyes: Spurs 109, Knicks 106

James H. Williams: Spurs 105, Knicks 104 

Scooby Axson: Spurs 121, Knicks 103

Mark Giannotto: Spurs 112, Knicks 105

Victoria Hernandez: Spurs 108, Knicks 105

Jon Hoefling: Spurs 104, Knicks 98

Dimers: Spurs will hold off Knicks

The website predicts the final score for Game 5 on Saturday has the Spurs winning 112-106. This prediction is based on each team's average outcome following 10,000 game simulations.

ESPN: Spurs expected to beat Knicks

The website gives the Knicks a 43.2% shot at defeating San Antonio in the fifth game of the series.

How to watch Game 5 of the NBA Finals

• Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Frost Bank Center (San Antonio, Texas)
• TV: ABC
• Stream:ESPN, Fubo, YouTube TV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA Finals Game 5 predictions: Will Spurs or Knicks win?

The party is back on.

The Knicks will host three watch parties for fans Saturday as the team looks to secure the NBA championship in San Antonio.

Knicks fans will be able to get $10 tickets for the watch party at Radio City Music Hall, can procure free tickets for the party in Plaza33 outside the Mecca, or skate over to Wollman Rink in Central Park for another free, but ticketed, event.

Fans can reserve their tickets for any of the three events starting at 10 a.m. EST, according to MSG.

Fans have until 10 a.m. EST on Saturday to reserve their tickets for any of the three events.

Knicks alumni are expected to at the events.

The Plaza33 watch party permit Saturday has a maximum of 3,000 attendees and will take place inside an NYPD “frozen zone.”

Only ticketed fans will be permitted entry and will have to go through security checkpoints no later than 8:30 p.m., according to MSG.

The 3,000 permitted fans is about two thousand more fans than were approved for the ultimately scrapped Game 4 watch party, which was canceled by MSG after the city granted just 1,000 spots for the popular events.

Knicks owner James Dolan blamed Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch for failing to accommodate the masses in an interview on sports radio WFAN on Wednesday.

“They have never managed anything like this before and it’s like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches coming out the sides,” he said.

Dolan further claimed that Mayor Mamdani was “not a Knicks fan.”

MSG has complained that the limited capacity of the watch parties ices out ten of thousands of fans from celebrating the possible championship.

Previous watch parties did not require tickets or security screenings.  

The first Finals watch party to be canceled was the celebration for Game 3, which was called off due to security concerns surrounding the attendance of President Donald Trump.

Some watch parties across the city have turned violent.

A 17-year-old boy was beaten into a coma by a deranged San Antonio fan shouting “Spurs in 7” at W 35th and 8th Avenue after the historic Game 4 comeback victory at MSG on Wednesday.

Other post-Game 4 hijinks included a wild mob launching chairs at a Midtown Five Guys employee, leaving him bloodied and damaging the chain burger joint.

The oldest living New York Knick is keeping his cool during the team’s historic — and heart-stopping –championship run.

Hall of Famer Richie Guerin told The Post this week he doesn’t get butterflies seeing his former team on the brink of their first championship title since 1973.

“Not really. Because, you know, I’ve been there too many times before — to watch a team win a game by effort and lose a game by the other team’s effort,” said the 94-year-old Guerin, who played for the Knicks from 1956 to 1963.

The Knicks legend, who made history as the first guard to score 2,000 points in an NBA season, had the foresight to predict the team would clinch Game 4.

“I think there’ll be a very good chance that the Knicks will win this game tonight and then go to San Antonio with a 3 to 1 lead and hopefully come away with a win,” Guerin said on Wednesday morning, before the Knicks later stunned the San Antonio Spurs with a history-making comeback after being down 29 points in the third quarter.

Guerin spent seven seasons playing for the Knicks, until he was traded to the St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks, where he played seven more years and also coached.

He had an impressive career average of 20 points per game, 11 games of 40 or more points, and several with 50 points. His career high of 57 points stood for more than 50 years until Bernard King broke it with 60 in 1984.

The Bronx native, who played for Iona College and served as an officer in the Marine Corps, was at Game 3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday with his daughter as a guest of the organization, which announced him on the jumbotron.

“It worked out very nice to have an enjoyable evening. Everything nice, but winning the game,” the six-time NBA All-Star said.

“Monday, it just happened that the other team did a little bit better down the stretch and was able to come away with the win, just like the Knicks were in the game in San Antonio … But sports is a funny thing and teams play differently from game to game.”

The father of four said the league was different in his day — and players had to make ends meet by getting other gigs in the off-season.

“We had to go out and get a job. We had a family. The players today in all sports, it’s a 12-month sport. They take a slight break and they come back,” he explained.

“I worked with a friend of mine who owned a plumbing business. And then I worked at the racetrack up in Yonkers.”

And because current ballplayers are playing more, they’re stronger on the court.

“Today’s athlete is a lot better and physically stronger than the athletes of the era that I played in, in any sport. They play a lot more games than we did in the off-season,” he said.

He also called the Spurs’ 7′ 4″ powerhouse and now-New York archenemy Victor Wembanyama “a very strong, talented player,” but explained that in his era, a man from France would never play in the NBA.

“That’s the other part of the game today, where people are coming into the league from Europe,” he said.

The grandfather of eight said none of his grandkids play basketball — but he still gifted them with precious memorabilia from his storied career.

“I give things to my grandchildren or a friend, and I’m very happy and satisfied to do that,” he said.

“There’s a lot of people who sell it. And I’m not one of those types of people.”

Nothing has happened on the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade front yet, but there are strong rumors that Boston may win the sweepstakes.

There are various reports of how the trade would be structured, with some saying it would be a three-way deal between Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta.

Other reports say Brad Stevens is trying to swing a deal that would get Giannis and possibly former Virginia star Trey Murphy.

This would mean splitting up former Duke star Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They’ve been very successful, having won a championship in 2024, but in a trade that big, Boston would have to give one of them up, and it looks like they’re choosing to keep Tatum.

There are a lot of moving parts here, but several reports suggest it’s nearly a done deal, possibly with Milwaukee getting Brown and sending him on for some significant bundle of assets from another team.

If this happens – and obviously it hasn’t yet – Tatum will have an incredibly talented frontcourt teammate. As of now, they don’t really have a center, even though Giannis could cover some of that up.

However, a frontcourt of Tatum, Antetokounmpo, and Murphy would cause all kinds of problems for the rest of the league.

As noted, nothing is certain yet, but at least one observer said that Boston and Milwaukee have a handshake deal.

If it goes through, it’s going to shake up the NBA in a way that few trades ever do.

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New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby has made extraordinary progress in NBA Finals MVP odds, pushing into second place behind his teammate, Jalen Brunson.

The latest NBA Finals MVP odds from DraftKings Sportsbook have Anunoby second at +210 to Brunson’s -115.

Key Takeaways

• Anunoby was around +5,000 earlier in the series.
  
  
• Current odds suggest he has a 32.3% chance of winning the award.
  
  
• Victor Wembanyama claimed that “everyone knows” the Spurs will come back to win the series.

Brunson opened the series second in Finals MVP odds behind San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. Brunson quickly climbed into the lead after the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead and remains on top of the board with his team up 3-1.

Anunoby, formerly an afterthought in the conversation, has closed from around +5,000 to his current line of +210. Using the implied probability of his odds, Anunoby has a 32.3% chance of winning the award, while Brunson still has a 53.5% chance.

The 28-year-old Anunoby put up 33 points in Game 4, which ended in a Finals-record 29-point comeback for the Knicks. He also blocked De’Aaron Fox’s shot with less than 15 seconds remaining, and then scored the game-winning bucket by tipping in a missed three from Brunson.

“He's been clutch. He's the guy that's actually brought [the Knicks] back from being down,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “I think he's got a big shot to win MVP. I really do. We had him at 4-to-1 after the game the other night. Now he's down to +210, so they're loving him right now to win the MVP.”

Anunoby’s raw stats (23.8 points, four rebounds) aren’t as impressive as Brunson’s (29.5 points, five assists, 4.5 rebounds). However, he’s played excellent defense, produced clutch moments, and shot the ball incredibly efficiently, making 58% of his field goals and 55.6% of his three-pointers.

Finals MVP odds contenders

Wembanyama follows Brunson and Anunoby in NBA Finals MVP odds at +390. 

On Friday, he boldly declared that “everyone knows” the Spurs are going to win the Finals. That would require them to become the second team to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the championship round, with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers being the only team to have accomplished that feat.

Wemby on if the Spurs believe they can come back and win the Finals:

"Everybody knows we're gonna do it."pic.twitter.com/qmHirXlJ1J

— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) June 12, 2026

Bringing the Spurs back would almost assuredly guarantee that Wembanyama would win Finals MVP. Nobody on his team is shorter than +25,000 in odds, that player being Stephon Castle. 

Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns sits between Wembanyama and Castle in odds at +4,000. He looked like the best player on his team in Games 1 and 2, although he was a relative no-show in Games 3 and 4. 

Game 5 betting odds

DraftKings reported that Game 4 of the Finals was the sportsbook’s most-bet game in its history. Game 5 will see the series return to San Antonio, where the Knicks won the first two games of the series as underdogs.

Despite those results, and the Spurs trailing in the series 3-1, DraftKings has the home team as a 5.5-point favorite. That line rests between where it did in Games 1 and 2, for which they were 4.5- and 6.5-point favorites.

At DraftKings, 73% of bets and 68% of the handle in the spread market are backing the Knicks. Meanwhile, 59% of tickets and 82% of the money is also on the Knicks in the moneyline market, currently priced at -192 for the Spurs and +160 for the Knicks. 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The San Antonio Spurs have slapped a ticket restriction on NBA Finals games in a pathetic bid to keep New York fans from flooding the Frost Bank Center.

Knicks faithful trying to get into tonight’s Game 5 contest – which could hand New York its first NBA title in 53 years – are being greeted with a warning from Ticketmaster.

“Frost Bank Center is located in San Antonio, Texas . Sales to this event will be restricted to customers residing within a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center,” the note reads.

“Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside of a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center will be canceled without notice and refunds given. Please note there is a 4 seat ticket limit for transactions through the venue.”

The cheapest ticket to the game as of early Saturday was just over $1,000 while the most expensive seat for the potentially historic game clocked in at about $43,000.

The Friday night move, first reported by TMZ, came just hours after The Post revealed 45% of tickets on the resale market on TickPick for the pivotal Game 5 were purchased by fans from New York and New Jersey, according to data from the company.

Those who have already purchased a ticket may still be out of luck — with Ticketmaster stating that any out of towners with tickets will have them refunded and canceled without notice.

“The 150 mile radius restriction introduced during the Playoffs remains in place throughout the NBA Finals,” The Spurs told The Post. “This allows us to continue prioritizing local fans across San Antonio, Austin, and the surrounding communities.”

Basketball fans were incensed by the flagrant party foul.

“So the lifelong Spurs fan who moved somewhere else in our huge state is barred. The Knicks fan sensing history tonight can’t go. This is stupid,” radio host Mark Davis wrote on X.

“That’s bulls–\t. Spurs are scared and know they’re going to lose so they resort to these tactics. Deal with it like adults,” X user Pebbles wrote.

“This can’t be real? Is this even legal,” author and New Jerseyan Phil Ruzzo wrote on X.

Even New York Gov. Kathy Hochul blew the whistle.

“Knicks fans finally get within one game of a championship and their reward is having their tickets canceled? Thousands of New Yorkers bought tickets, booked flights, and made plans in good faith. Ticketmaster and the Spurs should reverse this decision and let the fans who bought those seats keep them. Until then, on behalf of Knicks fans everywhere, I’m calling foul,” Hochul wrote in an X post.

The Spurs, making their last stand after the Knicks miracle Game 4, tried to encourage their deflated and regional fanbase with a statement on Friday to justify the mass of Knicks fans expected at the possibly decisive game.

“We’re excited about the energy and support our fans have brought throughout this Finals run and look forward to Game 5,” the org said.

“Tickets may be transferred or resold multiple time safer their initial purchase through a variety of channels,” the statement, reported by News 4 San Antonio continued. “That’s why the location of the original purchaser based on billing address does not always necessarily reflect who ultimately attends the game.”

“Throughout the season, Playoffs and Finals, we have encouraged Season Ticket Members to keep tickets in the hands of SPurs fans whenever possible,” the statement read.

However some on social media pointed out the residency restriction practice has been in place throughout the playoffs due to the Knicks fans domination of opponents’ home courts.

Back in the second round, the Philadelphia 76ers attempted to keep Knicks fans out of Xfinity Mobile Arena — with even star center Joel Embiid begging locals to hang onto their stubs.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, who the Knicks swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, also tried and failed to maintain home court advantage — pulling notable Knick fan Fat Joe’s courtside seats at Rocket Arena for Game 4.