Knicks fans go insane after first NBA Finals win in 53 years — with jam-packed street party
For Knicks fans, the long wait is finally over.
A roaring sea of orange and blue crashed across the Big Apple Saturday night, as thousands of Knicks fans went wild watching their beloved team snap a 53-year losing streak and finally take home the NBA championship as New York completed another double-digit fourth quarter comeback powered by Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.
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“WE DID IT BABY! WE DID IT!” Rami Abdulaziz, 24, who watched the game at MSG, screamed to The Post.
“Sometimes you get speechless just talking about it. You get the chills and tears come in your eyes,” said Queens native Vick Artis, 31, who attended a watch party outside the Mecca.
“The Knicks put the nail in the coffin. After the comeback in game four they showed no matter what the Spurs do, the Knicks will always fight harder,” 19-year-old Theo Chun of Park Slope who also attended the 33rd Street watch party, told The Post.
“I have a daughter and this is the happiest day of my life,” said Staten Islander Joshua Martinez outside MSG.
Thousands of more fans rushed to Times Square with standing room only celebrating — photos showing a taxi stranded in the midst of the mass of basketball revelers.
Fans at the West Village block take over went mad as the clock ticked out in San Antonio — including comedians Jon Stewart and Robert Smigel who were spotted sporting Knicks gear amidst the faithful.
Sixth Avenue near West 10th was flooded with fans who brought traffic to a complete stop, video showed.
Folks hung out their apartment windows and came out onto fire escapes with the horde stretching several blocks in both directions singing Jay-Z and Alicia Keys song “Empire State of Mind.”
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Knicks fans outside the Mecca even commandeered a bus — with fifteen people climbing onto and jumping on top of it. Some ma
Others climbed light poles and scaffolding along Seventh Avenue.
Some fanatics went overboard with their celebration before the game even ended.
The NYPD made four arrests around MSG for assault on a police officer, two for disorderly conduct, and one for obstructing governmental administration prior to the end of the game, according to police sources.
Another arrest for petit larceny took place at the Wollman Rink watch party.
A couple of maniacs were seen jumping on the windshield of an NYPD cruiser on West 31st near Madison Square Garden shortly before dozens of officers, some in riot gear, charged down the block and cleared out the crowd.
The Knicks secured their first championship in 53 years capping off an historic playoff run that saw them rack up a 13-game winning streak including two sweeps against the 76ers and the Cavaliers and a 4-1 gentleman’s sweep of the Spurs.
Once again on Saturday, the Knickerbockers came back from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit — down 10 points at the start of the quarter and as much as 16 points in the first half before walking down the Spurs to a 4 point win.
The comeback was driven by the heroics of star guard Jalen Brunson who finished with 45 points including clutch bucket after clutch bucket down the stretch — setting a record for most points ever by a Knick in a Finals game.
This was their second major comeback in a row, overcoming a 29-point deficit in Game 4.
During the championship stretch, the Knicks set records for both the biggest win in playoff franchise history, beating the Hawks by 51 points, and setting the NBA record for biggest comeback in an NBA Final game with Game 4’s miraculous comeback win.
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