Knicks eye first NBA crown in 53 years

CEBU, Philippines — The New York Knicks will try to end their 53-year title drought as they clash with the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals today (Sunday, June 14 Philippine time) at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Tip-off is set for 8:30 a.m.

The Knicks staged the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, rallying from 29 points down late in the first half to stun the Spurs via a 107-106 nail-biter in Game 4 and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship series.

OG Anunoby’s tip-in basket off a missed 3-pointer by Jalen Brunson with 1.2 seconds left put the Knicks on the verge of their first NBA crown since 1973.

But the Knicks must brace for one big battle as the Spurs will surely fight to the death in the hope of  extending the series to at least one game.

It’s something that the Knicks are prepared for.

“There’s nothing to celebrate. It’s not over yet, not even close,”  said Brunson in a report by Agence France Presse. “The most important thing for me is just focusing on what we’ve got to do to win game five. “We have a lot to learn from and a lot to get better in order to do the things we said we want to do.”

With their backs against the wall, the Spurs expressed readiness to defend their turf and atone for the embarrassment they suffered before their home fans in the first two games of the series.

“I feel like we’re going to go out next game with a sense of fire,” said Spurs Filipino-American guard Dylan Harper in the same AFP report. “If we’re going to lose, we’re not going out like that. We’re going to put up a fight. We’re going to keep swinging.”

Harper’s fellow guard Stephon Castle said the Spurs must regroup quickly if they want to stay alive.

“It’s a tough loss. It’s going to take us a minute to get over it,” Castle said. “But we still have belief in each other and confidence we’re going to win the next game.”

The Spurs have a mountain climb though as only one team has ever overcome a 3-1 deficit to win the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers, then led by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, achieved this historic feat in 2016 against the Golden State Warriors. — (FREEMAN)