New York Loses Its Mind Over Knicks' Win

It was bedlam on Broadway as the New York Knicks won their first NBA championship in 53 years on Saturday night, with exuberant celebrations marred by mayhem and violence, including gunshots in Times Square. Outside Madison Square Garden, a crowd watching on a big screen roared as the Knicks rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat the Spurs in San Antonio in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Soon after, rowdy fans were clashing with police, smashing windshields, scaling scaffolding, light poles, and a statue, climbing into and atop school buses in Times Square and trying to hitch a ride on a moving fire truck. Later, one of the buses was engulfed in flames. Around 2am, gunshots were fired near 42nd Street and Broadway, reports the AP. Bystander video captured the sound of at least seven shots and showed people crouching and running for cover.

The NYPD said there were multiple arrests but wouldn't have a total until later on Sunday. Knicks owner James Dolan, speaking in San Antonio after the game, urged fans to stay calm. "We need to tell everybody in New York that we know that they're celebrating, we want them to have a great time," said Dolan, interrupting guard Josh Hart's press conference. "Please be safe. Don't get hurt, don't hurt anybody." The city will officially celebrate the Knicks on Thursday with a parade and City Hall ceremony. As the clock ticked toward the final buzzer on Saturday night, anxiety that had dominated the game's first three quarters gave way to euphoria. An orange-and-blue-tinted fever dream that started with the Knicks' first playoff game two months ago ended in the third title in their 80-year history.

Fireworks boomed over Brooklyn and Central Park. Fans flocked to Times Square and ran through the streets. Outside the Garden, they sang the team's anthem: "Go New York, Go New York, Go!" Police officers and ambulance workers shouted "Let's go Knicks" over loudspeakers in Brooklyn. Strangers shook hands and hugged. In the Lincoln Tunnel, where people were riding buses back from the World Cup at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, 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 soaked in the victory at a team-sanctioned watch party at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Ogno wore the jersey of Knicks captain Jalen Brunson, whose 45 points propelled the Knicks to victory and him to the NBA Finals MVP. Brunson's gritty determination and chip-on-his-shoulder style have made him a fan favorite, embodying New York's working-class ethos. After several dozen arrests throughout the playoffs and violence after Games 3 and 4 in New York that left officers injured and a teen in a coma, police girded for unrest as Saturday bled into Sunday. "As we celebrate, be responsible, look out for one another, stay safe, be smart, and make this a night that reflects the very best of our city," Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on social media. "Let's go Knicks."