The Knicks saved basketball from Wembanyama
According to one NBA analyst, the Knicks’ championship prevented the league from spending the entire offseason focused on developing tactical solutions to counter Victor Wembanyama’s dominance
It took 53 years of heartbreak, broken promises and disastrous seasons, but Madison Square Garden has finally reclaimed its place at the center of the basketball world. With their 4-1 series victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5, the New York Knicks were crowned 2026 NBA Champions, sending an entire city into celebration for the first time since 1973.
It was not just a triumph for Mike Brown’s team against preseason expectations; according to some American analysts, it was a victory that quite literally “saved” basketball from the technical dictatorship of the player many view as the future of the sport: Victor Wembanyama.
The defining editorial of this historic championship run came from ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith. The New York native, visibly emotional and energized by the title won by his favorite team, explained on the network’s X channel why he believes this outcome was the best possible scenario for the NBA.
Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks saved the NBA with this championship. Follow my logic: if the Spurs had won, the entire league would spend the summer focused on one question – how do we beat the alien? How do you stop that 7-foot-5 monster from France?
Stephen A. Smith
The result on the court completely overturned both expectations and preseason projections. Few, if any, observers believed the Knicks would end the 2026 playoffs on top of the basketball world.
And yet, what happened? A six-foot point guard, who certainly isn’t the most explosive player above the rim because that’s not his game, but who possesses basketball genius, a superior IQ and incredible footwork, carried this team to a championship
Stephen A. Smith
Most bettors and analysts viewed the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder as the overwhelming favorite to win the title, considering both teams the league’s true powerhouses throughout the season. Instead, New York silenced the doubters and will enter next season as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
At the center of it all is Jalen Brunson, who was unanimously named NBA Finals MVP after delivering a spectacular 45-point performance in the championship-clinching game.
New York has finally found its savior. Fifty-three years later, the Garden’s curse has been broken, and the tears of joy flowing through Manhattan have erased decades of frustration.