Mayhem mars Knicks euphoria as New York City celebrates its first NBA championship in 53 years

It was bedlam on Broadway as the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years on Saturday night, with celebrations filled with chaos and violence, including a shooting in Times Square.

Outside Madison Square Garden, the crowd watching on the big screen roared as the Knicks rallied from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

Soon after, tens of thousands of people filled the streets. Loudest among them were brawls with police, smashing windshields, scaffolding, light poles and statues, climbing on top of school buses in Times Square and trying to ride a moving fire truck.

Around 2 a.m., a 17-year-old boy was shot near 42nd Street and Broadway, police said. Bystander video captured the sound of at least seven gunshots and showed people crouching and running for freedom. The police took the victim to the hospital because the ambulance could not get through the crowd, the police said. A gun was found and three people were arrested.

Four people were stabbed or mutilated and another school bus that was used to transport the World Cup was set on fire, police said. Five other buses and police vehicles were also damaged, police said.

A total of 63 people were arrested, with charges including assaulting a police officer, possession of a firearm for crime, robbery and disorderly conduct.

Knicks owner James Dolan, speaking in San Antonio after the game, urged fans to calm down.

“We have to tell everyone in New York that we know they’re celebrating. We want them to have a good time,” Dolan said, interrupting guard Josh Hart’s news conference. “Please be safe. Don’t get hurt, don’t hurt anyone.”

The city will officially celebrate the Knicks on Thursday with a parade and a City Hall event.

“As we celebrate, be responsible, take care of each other, stay safe, be smart, and make this a night that reflects the best of our city,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media. “Let’s go Knicks.”

As the clock ticked down to the final whistle on Saturday night, the anxiety that filled the first three quarters of the game was replaced by excitement. The orange and blue fever dream that began with the Knicks’ first playoff appearance two months ago ended with the third title in their 80-year history.

Fireworks went off over Brooklyn and Central Park. Fans flocked to Times Square and ran through the streets. Outside the garden, they sang the group’s anthem: “Go to New York, Go to New York, Go!”

Police and ambulance workers shouted “Let’s go Knicks” over loudspeakers in Brooklyn. Strangers shake hands and hug. In the Lincoln Tunnel, where people were taking buses back from the World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the drivers honked their horns in celebration.

“I’m so overwhelmed. I’m so happy,” said Mathieu Ogno, of Long Island, who fought back tears as he was drenched in victory at a team-sanctioned viewing event at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Ogno was wearing the jersey of Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, whose 45 points led the Knicks to victory and he was named NBA Finals MVP. Brunson’s dogged determination and on-the-shoulder style have made him a fan favorite, including New York’s ethos.

The champion Knicks – 19,392 days since their last – completed a rare season that hasn’t reached the NBA Finals since losing to the Spurs in 1999. Since April 23rd, the team has won 15 of 16 games, with their lone loss coming Monday in Game 3.

Their last title, in 1973, was also won on the road in Game 5. Their first, in 1970, was won at home in a thrilling Game 7. It was not celebrated with a parade.

“I’m happy to see my Knicks finally win,” said Shawn Muoneke, 26. “I’ve seen them knock on the door. They’ve been knocking on the door for the past few years. But they finally won, and I’m so happy to see it and I’m so happy to be in town to feel it.”

Muoneke, who was born a year after the Knicks’ last trip to the NBA Finals, started rooting for them at age 10. He drove from Maryland to be in town for Game 5 at the team’s Central Park party.

“I have seen the ups and downs and watched the team come back from the top, I was very happy to see them reach the highest level as a team,” said Muoneke. After the Knicks won, he said, the vibes in town were “the highest they’ve ever been.”

US President Donald Trump, a longtime Knicks fan who attended Game 3 at the Garden with Dolan, congratulated the team in a post on his Truth Social forum.

“What a year it has been, and more than that, the amazing success we’ve all seen, especially the last four – Perhaps the greatest in basketball history,” Trump wrote.

With Brunson’s clutch performance, he added, “a great star was born.”