Knicks fans celebrate New York’s second NBA title and its first championship in 53 years.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Brooklyn erupted in celebration Saturday night after the New York Knicks captured their first NBA championship in 53 years, rallying from a 16-point deficit to defeat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals and ending a decades-long title drought.
Over the moon Knicks fans poured into the streets across the borough, turning neighborhoods into impromptu block parties filled with music, dancing and chants of “Let’s Go Knicks.”
Crowds gathered well into the night, dancing in the streets as passing cars honked in support and strangers embraced. In Park Slope, where revelers kept the party going on the heels of Brooklyn Pride despite the shutdown of a fan-favorite outdoor watch party, festivities were amplified by spirited drumline performances from Fogo Azul, whose rhythms carried the celebration late into the night.
For many, the moment was years — even decades — in the making.
“I’ve been waiting my entire life for this,” one fan told Brooklyn Paper. “I’m 42 years old, I’m from New York, I’ve been a New York Knicks fan my entire life. Knicks fans, we’ve had our hearts broken many times in the past…today, this finals … none of us were comfortable. We were confident but we didn’t feel comfortable. Now, we can finally relax.”
Another fan summed up the mood in just four words: “It’s about time.”
