Finally,KnicksAreNBAChamps!
Sports Editor Joins In Celebration Of Long-Sought Title
As the Schwab van made its way into the Midwest as part of our summer vacation, we had the television focused on Game 5 of the NBA Finals game between the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets.
It was June 17, 1994, and my brother Jeffrey and I had recently become New York Knicks fans. As we were watching, the game was interrupted by the infamous lowspeed chase of O.J. Simpson in a white Ford Bronco. The Knicks won the game and went up 3-2 in the series, but the Rockets won the series in seven games to claim their first NBA championship.
That year was the beginning of my 32-year fandom of the Knicks. My babysitter Alice King and my childhood friend Brad Hostetter were fans already, and I joined them. I was 13 years old and showed my loyalty visibly, getting a Knicks starter jacket and a jersey of John Starks, the Knicks’ cocky and athletic shooting guard.
Though they didn’t have Starks and other stars from the 1994 team, the Knicks made the NBA Finals again in 1999, as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, this time facing the San Antonio Spurs. Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing was nearing the end of his playing career, and he had to sit out the finals because of a partially torn Achilles tendon. The Knicks still had a talented lineup, including forward Larry Johnson, who made a 4-point play to lift the Knicks over the Indiana Pacers in a crucial win in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. He did an “L” salute with his arms in celebration, and Brad and I proudly did that salute as we walked across the stage at our high school graduation.
The NBA Finals in 1999 did not bring as much drama as 1994, as San Antonio took the series 4-1 to win its first NBA title.
After 27 years, the Knicks finally got back to the finals this year and defeated San Antonio 4-1 for their first NBA title in 53 years. The Knicks trailed by double digits in every game, but somehow managed to keep coming back.
My wife, Stephanie, and I now have a 9-month-old daughter, Olivia, and on nights that the Knicks played, Stephanie would put Olivia to bed and let me enjoy the game.
During Game 2 of the finals, balancing fatherhood with my Knicks loyalty, I agreed to help Olivia try to sleep. It wasn’t happening, so I tried to soothe her and get her to doze off. I would occasionally check the score of the game on my phone, seeing the Knicks trailing by double digits. In the fourth quarter, they were starting to come back, and I decided to sneak downstairs with Olivia and watch the final few minutes. Sure enough, Olivia calmed down and watched with me. In the closing seconds, San Antonio star center Victor Wembanyama turned over the ball, attempting to pass it to a teammate. New York star guard Jalen Brunson, the Most Valuable Player of the finals, was then fouled, and he hit the go-ahead free throw with 9.5 seconds left, and the Knicks won 105-104.
In Game 3, the Spurs won 115-111 in New York to cut the series lead to 2-1, but then came the defining game of the series, Game 4. The Spurs got off to an amazing start, making 11 3-pointers in the first half and leading by as many as 29 in the third quarter, but San Antonio then went cold, the Knicks chipped away at the lead, cutting it to 15 at the end of the third quarter.
With New York trailing 106105 in the closing seconds, Brunson fired a long 3-pointer that missed, but teammate OG Anunoby tipped in the rebound with 1.2 seconds to complete the miraculous comeback that made me feel like that 13-yearold fan that first started cheering for the Knicks. Brunson later said that the Knicks show up half an hour late, but they finish the game strong, and their resilience this year was a great example in sports and in life.
In Game 5, the Knicks trailed by 16 points, but they weren’t fazed. With amazing determination, Brunson racked up 45 points to lead New York to a 94-90 win and their first championship since 1973. I messaged Brad immediately, and we exchanged our words of joy. In the days after they won the title, the joy of Knicks fans in New York and around the world has been palpable, and I take pride when I’m wearing my Knicks hat and a stranger congratulates me on their title.
Will there be another chance for a father-daughter viewing of a Knicks championship in the coming years? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure for me and other longtime fans: we sure as heck enjoyed this year’s championship run.
AFTER BUYING their Knicks caps May 2025, Jonathan Schwab and his wife, Stephanie, explore New York City. At the time, the Knicks were playing the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals.
