By Matija Šerić
On Tuesday, December 16, in the grand final of the NBA Cup at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, New York won its first title in this relatively new competition. The Knicks defeated the young San Antonio Spurs in a thrilling 124–113 victory. This is the first title the renowned team from the Big Apple has won since way back in 1973. Numerous fans finally felt a sense of satisfaction. Many are now wondering if the Knicks can continue their excellent form throughout the season—can they win the NBA Championship after a long 52-year wait? If they keep playing the way they have, there is hope that this dream could truly come true this year.
The Third Season of the NBA Cup
Let’s go back to the NBA Cup itself. This was its third edition. While there are some criticisms, there is no doubt that this competition has significantly revitalized the American-Canadian basketball league. Finally, in the middle of the season—or more precisely, in the first quarter of it—there is another competition that brings additional excitement that was previously missing. The Knicks became the third winners after the Lakers in 2023 and the Bucks last year. Their path to the title was by no means easy. In fact, they had to play consistently at a high level, almost without the right to make a mistake.
Knicks-Magic
Knicks Start Slowly but Win Their Group
New York was placed in Group C of the Eastern Conference along with Miami, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Charlotte. Only the first-place team in the group automatically advances, along with the best second-place team among the three conference groups. Some thought the Knicks might get stuck in the group after losing their first away game to Chicago 135–125. However, they won the remaining three games and qualified for the quarterfinals with a 3–1 record. They defeated Miami at Madison Square Garden (140–132), the Hornets in Charlotte (129–101), and finally the Bucks in New York (118–109).
Quarterfinals and Semifinals Walkthrough
In the quarterfinals on December 9 in Toronto, the Knicks faced the Raptors, who had won Group A with four victories. Although the Canadians were slight favorites, the motivated visitors pulled off a 117–101 win. Brilliant playmaker Jalen Brunson scored 35 points, center Karl-Anthony Towns recorded 16 rebounds, and Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson each added four assists. In the semifinals in Las Vegas, the Knicks completely controlled the game, defeating the Orlando Magic 132–120. Brunson was brilliant again with 40 points and eight assists, while Robinson grabbed nine rebounds. It was a routine victory. It was clear that the New York team was on a historic mission, and nothing could stop them.
Knicks-Spurs
The Grand Final
In the final, they faced the Spurs, who had previously shocked the favored Oklahoma City Thunder in the semifinals. It was a tough and extremely close, thriller-like game. The San Antonio players did not seem intimidated, even though this was their first game of such magnitude. “They move the ball like a machine,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said about the Spurs after the match. “We knew we had to disrupt them. We couldn’t let them play in rhythm, or they would run us out of the arena,” he added. Brunson and his teammates managed to turn the clash in their favor only in the final quarter.
The New York trio of OG Anunoby, Brunson, and Towns scored 28, 25, and 16 points respectively. Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek were shooting wildcards off the bench, scoring 15 and 14 points. Mitchell Robinson, Towns, and Anunoby dominated under the boards with 15, 11, and nine rebounds. Brunson contributed eight assists. All nine players who took the court made some kind of contribution. There was a strong sense of team spirit from start to finish in this tense game, which could have gone either way.
San Antonio was not helped by the phenomenal Victor Wembanyama (18 points, six rebounds, two blocks) and other players in form, such as Dylan Harper (21 points, seven rebounds), De’Aaron Fox (16 points, nine assists), and Stephon Castle (15 points, 12 assists, seven rebounds). It was a major announcement of the rise of a new Spurs dynasty under Wemby, but in the end, the show and the laurels went to the team from Manhattan, heralding a new era.
