The New York Knicks won their first NBA championship since 1973, ending the longest title drought in professional sports, and both New York City and the Internet went wild in response. But you don’t have to be a basketball fan to understand what just happened. In fact, we would argue that last night was one of the best story endings in sports history, a picture-perfect ending that makes you wonder if it was scripted.
Are you skeptical? Please listen to me first.
Nova Knicks win big
Three of my best college friends got together last night to relive the unlikely events of 2016 NCAA March Madness on an even bigger stage.
Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges were all teammates at Villanova University a decade ago and helped the team defeat a highly favored University of North Carolina team 77-74 in one of the most famous NCAA Tournament games of all time.
And the friendship they forged ten years ago is a big reason for the team’s great chemistry today, as well as the only reason the Knicks have the roster they have today. That’s because team captain and certified superstar Jalen Brunson was forced to take a $113 million pay cut in the summer of 2024 to free up much-needed cap space.
Two years ago, NBA analyst and commentator Adrian Wojnarowski called the move “nearly unprecedented,” but it paid off in a big way last night as Brunson was named King of New York and he and his college friends became NBA champions.
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Karl Anthony Towns Salvation
It’s hard to think of an NBA superstar who has been more unfairly maligned than Karl-Anthony Towns. Former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Jimmy Butler famously called him “soft” in 2018, and the insults have continued since last night.
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Not only did KAT average impressive numbers over the course of this series, averaging 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, he did it while taking on some of the toughest defensive matchups and guarding Spurs superstar Victor Wembaneyama, a 7-foot-4 center with a silky-smooth jump shot and superhuman agility (they don’t call him “Alien” for nothing).
But it’s the behind-the-scenes drama that is often overlooked by casual fans that makes KAT’s victory so meaningful. In 2020, his mother, who had been his biggest supporter, passed away due to complications caused by the coronavirus infection. Unlike many superstar athletes, celebrities, or celebrities in general, Towns has been extremely open about sharing his grief. In an emotional YouTube video titled “The Toughest Year of My Life,” he detailed his mother’s difficult upbringing, her unwavering support and pregame ritual, and in a postgame interview after Game 1 of the Finals, he spoke about what his mother still means to him. “I felt like I was seeing my mom in the stands. It felt so good, it felt like a very loving, solid presence, and I felt like I could have fun in Game 1 of the NBA.” The finals are the weirdest thing because you’re expected to have the most pressure.
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But good things have come out of that great sadness, including his engagement to longtime girlfriend Jordyn Woods.
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From now on, the internet will start calling him NBA champion Karl-Anthony Towns instead of “Soft,” and that’s no surprise.
Branson burns haters
If Jalen Brunson wasn’t famous before this NBA Finals, he definitely is now. However, he had to endure a lot of criticism before making his mark on the game’s biggest stage. In fact, the 6-foot-2 point guard has been overlooked and underrated throughout his career. In 2023, former WNBA superstar-turned-analyst Becky Hammon famously dismissed him as too small to be a 1A player on a winning team, and Stephen A. Smith, the NBA’s most famous talking head, said his contract with the Knicks was “for nothing” and a disastrous move destined to fail.
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Not only did Brunson lead New York to its first NBA title in more than half a century, he averaged 32.6 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game en route to winning Finals MVP, and he scored 45 points in a close Game 5 on the road. And things got even better. His father, Rick Brunson, a former Knicks player and current Knicks assistant coach, was able to share the moment with him.
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Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ cast reunites
For decades, A-list actor Jack Nicholson has sat courtside with the Los Angeles Lakers, rooting for the Showtime Lakers, the Shaq and Kobe three-peat, and the Kobe and Pau era of Lakerdom absolutes. Spike Lee is the only other celebrity in the entire NBA who can match that level of dedication.
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This acclaimed manager can be seen in Knicks highlights from decades ago, harassing umpires, mocking Reggie Miller (when he was a pacer, not an analyst!), and generally showing support. But ironically, his biggest moment as a Knicks fan occurred not at Madison Square Garden but in San Antonio, where he reunited with Giancarlo Esposito and John Turturro, the main cast members of his breakthrough film Do the Right Thing, and cheered on the Knicks with them.
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In retrospect, it’s only fitting that the film’s director is one of the biggest fans of the Knicks’ recent breakthrough. Because there was enough of a great story here to make a movie – maybe the next one with Spike Lee?
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