THE NEW YORK KNICKS ARE THE 2026 NBA CHAMPIONS!! The heart of the New York Knicks outplayed the youth of the San Antonio Spurs. As has played out in so many moments in this NBA Finals series. This past Saturday in San Antonio, the Knicks just kept fighting, finally securing the Larry O’Brien Trophy in a season that will be remembered forever. A 53-year championship drought that has now put the New York Knicks back on the mountaintop of the basketball world. We are officially living in an era of insane parity, with eight different champions in the last eight years, but the 2025-26 Knicks have separated themselves from everyone else. Not only did they win it all, but they pulled off the historic double as the only team in recent history to take home both the NBA Cup and the World Championship in the same season.

History, though, didn’t start on the Knicks’ side for Game 5. Wemby had 5 blocks already in the 2nd Quarter, with the Spurs keeping a 10-point lead at every turn. The Spurs had an amazing season for their inexperience. The league is on notice, but the Knicks just don’t let up. Going into the half, the Knicks were only down 5 points, 37-42. And Brunson had 16 of the Knicks 37 points in the first half.

In the 3rd Quarter, it started to shift. Brunson completely took over the game, scoring from every level on the floor and drawing fouls, taking it strong to the basket. KAT was in early foul trouble, but OG, Hart, and Bridges continued to rally behind Brunson. Hart was showing a relentless defensive clinic, locking down Stephon Castle. At the end of the 3rd Quarter, Castle was still with 0 points.

“This quarter kept everyone on edge.”

This 4th Quarter will be studied for years on end. A heart-pounding back and forth kept everyone on the edge of their seats, whether you were at the arena, watching at a bar, watching at home, or watching on the make-shift viewing parties all over New York City. This quarter kept everyone on edge. Even with Wemby collecting a double-double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks during the 4th Quarter, the Knicks continued to chip away. Down the stretch, Jalen Brunson was leading all scorers with 38 points as he started hitting some big free throws and clutch layups, including one on Wemby. The Knicks brought it to a 2-point game (81-83) with about 5 minutes to go in the game. The Knicks were on an 8-0 run for the past 3-4 minutes of the quarter. A Brunson layup ties the game at 83-83, and Brunson then is leading all scorers with 40 points. Devin Vassell and Dylan Harper were keeping the Spurs in this game from the very beginning. Vassell was hitting jumpers, and Dylan was simply too strong taking it to the rim on any defender.

“The heart of the New York Knicks outplayed the youth of the San Antonio Spurs.”

In this back-and-forth, Brunson got to 42 points, which was the most by any New York Knick in the NBA Finals. The Knicks grabbed their first lead of the game with 3 minutes and 40 seconds left, after being up 5-4 in the early minutes of the 1st Quarter. 16 points was the most they’d been down all game. Now there were just 3 minutes left to get the job done. KAT then fouls out.

Dylan Harper should’ve had the ball in his hands more for the Spurs. Sure, Wemby had a double-double of 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks, but Dylan’s 25 points was the team’s highest on the night. With 1 minute and 16 seconds left, Harper bullied Mikal Bridges down in the paint to then hit a turnaround jumper that tied the game at 88-88 with 1 minute and 12 seconds left in the game. A few seconds later, Brunson speeds past Castle to put up a floater that hits nothing but net. Knicks up 90-88!

A pair of missed shots by the Spurs, a three by Fox, and a missed layup by Dylan in the final minute give the Knicks a chance to close this thing out. 27 seconds left, and off a Hart rebound, there’s a foul. At the line, Hart goes 1-for-2, making the score 91-88 with 25 seconds left. The miss looked hopeful for the Spurs, until the man that actually came away with the ball was the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson, who was out-muscling Wemby for the board. Robinson dishes it, and the ball gets to OG, who gets fouled. OG also goes 1-for-2 from the line, putting the game at 92-88 with 21 seconds left. Spurs come away with the rebound and call a timeout.

Castle inbounds to Wemby, who gets a deep three off with a little under 20 seconds that hits the front of the rim and bounces out as Castle gets a clear lane to jump up and dunk the ball back in, his first field goal of the night. The Spurs are down 92-90 with 16 seconds left. Out of the timeout, the Knicks get the ball in, and Bridges gets fouled off of a loose ball. Bridges goes to the line and ALSO goes 1-for-2 from the free-throw line. 93-90 Knicks up, and the Spurs call their final timeout. On the inbound, Dylan Harper gets fouled and goes to the line, with 8.5 seconds left. Harper misses both free throws and OG comes away with the rebound and gets fouled. The Knicks can almost taste it now. OG misses the first free throw. OG makes the 2nd free throw. 7.7 seconds left. The Spurs get the ball in and push it up. De’Aaron Fox brings the ball up and clears a way for Wemby to get up a deep wing three. Wemby gets the shot up with 2.5 seconds left, and the shot just bounces off the backboard and hits nothing else. OG snags the rebound. It’s over, and the New York Knicks are now the 2026 NBA Champions! 53 years in the making.

The resilience of this New York Knicks team willed them to this miraculous win and season. The heart of the New York Knicks outplayed the youth of the San Antonio Spurs. Jalen Brunson’s pay cut of over $100 million may now be the blueprint for big stars to give themselves a chance at an NBA championship. Sometimes sacrificing a lot can lead to bigger and better things. Brunson ended the game with 45 points, tying only Michael Jordan with the most points scored on the road in an NBA Finals-clinching game. There are so many storylines with this team. Even just the fact that Brunson, Hart, and Bridges have won championships on the college level and now have officially gotten their first NBA Championship is a Hollywood story in the making. What a moment for New York City. What a moment for the basketball world.

As a hooper who grew up in New Jersey and the NYC tri-state area, seeing two Jersey boys lead the New York Knicks to an NBA Finals championship is the stuff NBA 2K MyCareer dreams are made of. All local Tri-State area kids, both young and old, are living through KAT, Brunson, and Jose Alvarado. Congratulations to the 2026 New York Knicks!

The largest comeback in NBA Finals history. Yep, that’s right. And no, this is not an NBA 2K stat for my 6-year Fantasy Draft Dynasty! This really just happened last night for the New York Knicks. After losing one in Game 3, the Knicks came back from a 29-point deficit to get the win in Game 4. With that win, the Knicks are up 3-1 in the series. Exactly one more win away from winning the NBA Championship.

In the Game 3 loss just a couple of days prior, the Spurs really showed a different air of confidence. The Knicks played tough, but it just wasn’t enough. A historic night for Wemby and his blocks (breaking a Dikembe Mutumbo playoff record total of 69 blocks with 70), and the Knicks’ 13-game winning streak was snapped.

And in Game 4 last night, the Spurs’ control and confidence showed up early and masterfully. The Spurs got KAT into early foul trouble, literally felt like a minute into the game, and Karl Anthony-Towns got hit with 2 fouls! Devin Vassell went 100% from the field with 15 points and 4-4 from the three. Not only was Wemby dominating in the half, but the Spurs had 3 different players with 15 or more points heading into the half. The Spurs hit a playoff record for most threes in a half as well, with 14 3PM. Jalen Brunson was struggling early, and OG was the only other Knick really putting up any points. The Knicks trailed as much as 29 (71-42) in the first half.

The scare in MSG was palpable through my TV. The Spurs finished the half up 27 (76-49).

The Spurs came into the 2nd half with their head up high. Knicks not totally out, but very much trying to make sense of what was happening. It was an ass-whooping up to that point. I have said that the heart of the Knicks has been outplaying the youth of the Spurs. This Game 4 was one of the biggest examples of that yet. The Spurs got pretty comfortable with their lead and just seemed to chuck up threes instead of being more patient and continuing their dominance. With nine and a half minutes left in the 3rd Quarter, the Spurs were up 81-52. Wemby had 19 points. Fox, Vassell, and Harper all had 15 points. But the Knicks just didn’t give up.

Jalen Brunson was finally getting into a groove and hitting 3’s and getting And-1’s. He was struggling from the free-throw line, but he just kept fighting through. Jose Alvarado also entered the game with the energy he brings and some timely momentum shots to add to the Knicks’ push. OG Anunoby was absolutely the X-factor, even before his series-defining play to end this game. OG was hitting threes and hustling on both ends of the court. The Knicks chipped away for minutes on end. A 13-0 run in with 4 minutes left in the 3rd got them a bit closer. The 3rd Quarter ended 90-75. Brunson was riding on 27 points, and OG had 15 points.

Heading into the 4th Quarter, Dylan Harper was pushing 21 points along Wemby’s double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Spurs were up 20 to start the quarter. Big 3’s from Jose Alvarado, KAT, and OG in a span of about 3-4 minutes brought the Knicks closer and closer. OG was now leading all scorers with 28 points. A couple of big layups from KAT and Brunson brought the game to 99-92 with 5 minutes left in the game. OG hit a corner 3 to bring them closer, and then it was 99-95 with 4:32 left. The Spurs answered right away with a 3 from Fox and a foul mid range jumper from Wemby to put them up 104-97.

“WTF JUST HAPPENED! Pure insanity.”

Alvarado hits a 3 around 3 minutes that puts the Knicks just down 4 at 104-100. And then down the stretch, Brunson hit a big 3 high over Wemby to get the Knicks within one! 104-103 with 2:21 left. By 1:30 left in the game, the Knicks have the ball and break away with the lead on a Jalen Brunson floater that bounces into the rim. Knicks are up 105-104. This was the Knicks’ first lead of the whole game, which came in at 1:22 in the 4th Quarter.

Josh Hart missed a crucial layup off a steal that led to Wemby getting to the line. Wemby missed the 2 free throws. With just 35 seconds left in the game, a Josh Hart foul on Castle during a rebound puts Castle on the line. And he hit 2 free throws to have the Spurs go up 106-105.

25 seconds left in the game, and a missed layup by Brunson bounces out to the Spurs with De’aaron Fox chasing after the ball and continuing for a layup instead of running out the clock. The Spurs were up 106-105 with 13.8 seconds left. What could’ve been the game-ending possession for the Spurs was stopped by an OG Anunoby block on Fox! Alvarado got the ball off the block and was fouled on the play up the court.

With 5.7 seconds left, the Knicks get the ball at half court with OG inbounding. He got the ball to Brunson, who let it fly for a 3 over Wemby. The ball hit the front of the rim, and as it bounced up and hung in the air, the rebound effort from the Spurs was outdone by the heroics of OG Anunoby. In a split second, OG found an opening, jumped, got his hand in the air, and cleanly tapped the ball into the basket. WTF JUST HAPPENED! Pure insanity. 1.2 seconds left. Knicks are up 107-106.

Spurs got the ball to Castle, but he was stopped by Josh Hart, who may have had a hard time in New York if the Knicks lost that game due to his last-second mishaps. He owes OG for the rest of his life. OG ended the game with 33 points 7-9 3PM. Brunson, Captain Clutch in pure form again, ended the game with 36 points, 7 assists, and 3 steals.

The Knicks officially won after being down 29. It’s like an NBA 2K record you break unknowingly because it’s a video game. The largest comeback in playoff history was unheard of until last night. The air and the vibes were off on Monday at MSG, for a multitude of reasons, and the Spurs actually made it a series that night. But last night, after the Game 4 comeback effort, the Knicks are now just one win away from an NBA Championship. NBA history is unfolding right before our eyes.

The heart of the Knicks has been outplaying the youth of the Spurs. Game 2 of the NBA Finals was an absolute roller coaster that showed us why we love this game. With that win, the Knicks extended their winning streak to 13 straight games! They haven’t lost since April 23rd. And now Game 3 is on the way tonight! The last NBA Finals at The Garden were in 1999! 27 years since then and 53 years since the last Knicks NBA Championship, all for this moment.

For Game 2, the Spurs came out of the gate swinging, establishing a 10-point lead in the 1st Quarter. However, the Knicks’ hustle is hard to deny, and they eventually flipped the script in the 2nd Quarter, and it was a battle all the way to the last second of the 4th Quarter.

“The heart of the Knicks has been outplaying the youth of the Spurs.”

Karl-Anthony Towns was a force to be reckoned with (again!). He finished with another double-double, 21 points and 13 rebounds with 4 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. KAT has a good chance at winning Finals MVP if he continues working the way he has. The second half saw Mikal Bridges emerge as the ultimate X-factor, hitting shot after shot and finishing with a masterclass, efficient performance of 8-13 from the field and 4-6 from the three.

OG Anunoby had an outstanding performance on both the defense and offense ends. He also had the cojones to jump up and dunk on Wemby!! Dylan Harper continued to show that he’s not playing like a rookie, finishing off with 15 points and 6 rebounds in the loss. The Knicks supporting cast of Shamet, Alvarado, Deuce, and Mitchell Robinson outplayed all of the Spurs rotations.

While Victor Wembanyama proved once again that he is an absolute cheat code on the court (it isn’t fair when this man jumps in the air to Space Jam a dunk), even in leading all scorers with 29 points, a sloppy play down the stretch that ended up being a crucial turnover with 12 seconds remaining, cost the Spurs the game. De’Aaron Fox had 20 points, and Castle and Vassell both had 14 points each.

Jalen Brunson, ever the closer, Captain Clutch himself, hit a heroic fadeaway to tie it and then converted a clutch free throw after Wemby’s costly turnover to seal the 105-104 victory.

I got lucky enough to get my hands on this 2022 Jalen Brunson Patch Auto last year, and it’s currently up for sale on our shop. The question, though, now is do we sell it, and it goes to a good home? Or do we keep it for the PC!?

Shop Link

“This game will be talked about for years to come.”

Now with Game 3 tonight, which way will the pendulum swing? New York City and Madison Square Garden are finally getting the finals they deserved. The Spurs are also trying to prove to the world that youth isn’t a factor when it comes to a championship. And even with all the distractions going down tonight for both teams, I think the Knicks pull off the home win to etch this moment in history. With a win tonight, the Knicks would become the 2nd team in NBA history with the most consecutive playoff wins: 14, behind the 2017 Golden State Warriors with 15 consecutive playoff wins. I see another dominant double-double for KAT. Brunson gets the stage back home, and this game will be talked about for years to come.

As many of the CFB26 Online Dynasties are slowly closing out their seasons (including our own, 79 & Under: The Sapingo Dynasty) in anticipation of the new College Football 27, EA Sports last night revealed the first official look at College Football 27 and Madden NFL 27 with their Opening Drive Showcase.

It was a livestream of a gameplay reveal event. And not just footage and presentations, but those in attendance, mostly game content creators hanging out with revered football legends, got to get some live gameplay in for the world to see. I witnessed Malachi Toney run one to the crib on a kick return against Chad Ochocinco.

And for those of us who were at home, a beta version has been released through EA’s MVP+ Membership. I know, dammit, another subscription I know.. But honestly, it’s actually not bad for this one time, because it’s cheaper than the MVP Bundle ($134.99 vs $150), and then after a year, the subscription is essentially the MVP Bundle moving forward. The subscription just gets you extra perks for being a subscriber. And this new beta test window has been a pretty cool experience as an early tester of the game. More info on the MVP+ Membership here.

If you love building programs and diving into deep franchise modes, then you’re just as excited as I am about what’s around the corner. There are a lot of new updates to unpack that you may or may not have already read. But I’m not gonna go crazy here, just pointing out some cool things I see for me and my friends as we continue competing in our Online Dynasties. You can read the longer DEEP DIVES from EA here.

College Football 27 — Launches July 9 (Early Access July 2)

• Dynasty Mode: Is back as a very revamped beast of a mode. This year promises “A Living Dynasty” where every decision you make shapes the college football landscape. You know, you’re rolling in that NIL money when you’re able to afford a Private Chef for the program! Yes, that is an option as an upgrade! For the program! There will also be Stadium Builder, where you can upgrade your Dynasty Stadiums as you grow the program!

• Road to Glory: More variety of positions this year outside of the popular ones like QB, RB, and LB. They’ve added Edge, Tight End, and FS. EA missed a golden opportunity to offer Kicker and Punter as positions, but who knows, maybe you’re able to change your players’ position once you’re at a program. The new “Legacy Score” tracks your growth throughout your high school and college career, impacting your stock on draft day.

• Coach Mode: Such a great addition for those of us who want to go even further with the X’s and O’s. A real chess-like mode for all football fans. And doesn’t keep it to just a sideline angle either. You have the options to get a birds-in-the-sky type of view as well as the ability to make any audibles you need as if you had full control of the team.

• Stadium Builder: Now you can expand on your stadium as your program continues to grow!

  

• Closed Beta: The closed beta, which kicked off yesterday, runs through June 7 under the title “CFB27 College Test Realm”.

Madden NFL 27 — Launches August 13 (Early Access August 6)

• The Trailer: Super exciting changes and capabilities. The reveal trailer stars Williams alongside Chicago-native actor Vince Vaughn.

• Franchise Mode: Details are starting to roll out for the development team’s vision on Franchise mode, including closer integration of system mechanics and abilities between college and pro.

• More in-depth Madden 27 info here.

The New MVP+ Membership

This bundle is a new 12-month MVP+ Membership subscription and it gives you permanent ownership of both games upon release, plus 7-day early access (starting July 2 for CFB 27 and August 6 for Madden 27).

Beta Gameplay: College Football 27

Now, for my experience with the beta testing of College Football 27…

HOLY MF SHIT. WOW.

There’s so much to unpack, as I’ve said, and EA is not allowing people to show the beta gameplay footage (there’s even watermarks all over the screen with your gamer ID to catch any culprits), but man, what a complete upgrade as a fan of the franchise. The total revamp of the gameplay and the true customization for the Dynasties and Road to Glory put this new version of the game so far ahead of the last 2 iterations. Obviously, it’s been an extremely slow buildup to this point, given that we hadn’t had a college football game for over 10 years. And it also took many in the community to voice their opinions and ideas to hold EA Sports accountable for providing a fun and entertaining experience.

EA Sports has listened. We are getting more control over our legacies and our own gameplay styles like never before.

79 & Under: The Sapingo Dynasty CONTINUES!

Me and my friends are so hype to get our new dynasty going for College Football 27. Just a couple more weeks until we can all have access and start growing our legacies like never before.

Check out the docuseries of our Online Dynasty as it finishes up its 6th Year in CFB 26 before we jump into College Football 27.

The Sapingo Dynasty - YouTube Channel

Discord Channel

Watch Past League Streams
https://www.twitch.tv/sportscardgamingclub (Ricky)
https://www.twitch.tv/outofstatepodcast (Rog)
https://www.twitch.tv/angulo043093 (Angulo)
https://www.twitch.tv/dperez1993 (Danny)

We’ve gone 8 years without a back-to-back NBA champion. You heard that correctly. No dynasties have been started for the past 8 years. The last real dynasty we witnessed was the Golden State Warriors. Steph Curry and those boys won in 2015, and then went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. For good measure, they snagged one more in 2022, beating out the Boston Celtics. And yet still, they are the last dynasty to get back-to-back championships. Here are the last 7 NBA Champions, which have all been different teams each year:

2019: Toronto Raptors

2020: Los Angeles Lakers

2021: Milwaukee Bucks

2022: Golden State Warriors

2023: Denver Nuggets

2024: Boston Celtics

2025: Oklahoma City Thunder

2026: New York Knicks OR San Antonio Spurs

The longest drought in NBA history without a repeat champion lasted 18 seasons (1969-1987). Then it was the eras of Celtics, Lakers, Pistons, Rockets, Bulls, Spurs, and the LeBron James Heat.

What does this have to say about the current state of the game? Was it easier or harder to win a championship in the decades before? Or after these very finals end in 2026, do we witness the start of the next true dynasty?

2026 NBA Finals Game 1

The Knicks came out hot at the start of the game. But then down the stretch of the 1st Quarter, the Spurs came crawling back, and then there was the Jalen Brunson injury scare. But Brunson, being Brunson, came back banged up and all to finish off the Spurs with a game-high of 30 points in 37 minutes of play. The Knicks came back from a 13-point deficit to win. Making this the Knicks 12th consecutive win! The Knicks have been winning since April 23, 2026 after the one loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference First Round.

The real game changers for the Spurs early on had been their supporting cast of Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, and Stephon Castle.

For the Spurs, it wasn’t much of Wemby’s game at first, and he clearly looked fatigued. They’re still coming down from the high of winning the Western Conference Finals just yesterday (I know it wasn’t yesterday, but I’m sure it’s what it feels like for them). Yes, per the box score, Wemby had a double-double with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks. But he also had a game-high 6 turnovers. The real game changers for the Spurs early on had been their supporting cast of Dylan Harper, Julian Champagnie, and Stephon Castle.

Subscribe now

Champagnie was 5-of-5 from three-point range to finish off the first half with a team-high at the time of 15 points. Champagnie ended the game with 16 points. Yikes.

Dylan Harper was bullyballing all through the first half and even some later in the game. But he was nowhere to be found late down the stretch. As a rookie, though, Harper is really showing out and performing on the biggest stage. It’s very impressive. He finished the game with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Stephon Castle got a couple of big 2nd chance plays and threes, but his 17 points and 8 rebounds weren’t enough.

As the Spurs fans at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio kept hearing the loud and blaring “LET’S GO KNICKS!” chants in their home arena, the undeniable heart of the New York Knicks was coming to life on the floor. This is truly a team that never gives up. Besides Brunson’s heroics, KAT, for the first time in a long time, was not playing scared. Attacking Wemby at every chance he could get. And going after rebounds like his life depended on it. KAT also put up a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

The Knicks’ supporting cast came in when it mattered most. Josh Hart, with only 3 points, made a hell of a difference with his scrappy play and non-stop motor that propelled him to a game-high 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 1 block. OG had a slow start, but then just went off in the 4th Quarter, finishing with 17 points and 3 rebounds. 12 of those points were just in the 4th Quarter alone.

The Knicks stole one on the road. The Spurs will find a way to respond. But let’s see what history decides to lay out for us in the coming weeks. NBA fans rejoice.

Game 2, Friday June 5th at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on ABC