Congratulations are in order!
The New York Knicks were crowned the 2025 NBA Cup Champions after a thrilling 124-113 comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs. With the victory, the franchise earned its first piece of silverware since its 1973 NBA Championship, ending a 52-year trophy drought.
Trailing for much of the game, the Knicks went on a 16-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters. Jalen Brunson added 25 points and 8 assists, earning the tournament MVP award almost unanimously for his dominant play throughout the competition.
OG Anunoby delivered a stellar performance with a game-high 28 points.
“A game like this, an environment like this, you don’t really see around the NBA too often,” Brunson said. “We got to take advantage of the experience that we got here. I mean, those guys will.”
“Being down 10 in the third and them kind of controlling the game throughout the game. Us just finding a way. Going on the run in the fourth with the help of our bench, it was big-time.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown spoke about his team’s determination throughout the year.
“During the course of the year, you try to find situations to put pressure on your group,” Brown said. “This is a single-elimination tournament when you get to a certain point. Every game counts. There’s pressure on every game if you expect to be who you think you are.”
Key contributions from the bench, including Mitchell Robinson’s 15 rebounds and Jordan Clarkson’s 15 points off the bench, helped the Knicks outmuscle Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
Brown also admitted to being skeptical of the NBA Cup during its inception. Now he sees the value in its third year.
“That pressure is manufactured without you as a coach having to try to do it all the time,” Brown said. “When you’re able to have success doing it, it breeds confidence in everybody within the organization. That can propel you come the right time when you’re in that environment to be able to handle the pressure because you’ve already been through it.”
