Knicks Celebrate NBA Cup Victory

The New York Knicks are set to raise a championship banner for the first time since 1973. It’s not something they planned for, but an “NBA Cup Champions” banner will soon adorn Madison Square Garden, following their 124-113 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Star guard Jalen Brunson, who was named NBA Cup MVP, expressed his excitement, noting how “awesome” the title is. He added, “We’re going to enjoy this. But when we leave tomorrow, we’ll take the next step.”

It’s clear that the Knicks have loftier goals ahead. Incoming New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani seems to share that ambition. Responding to the Knicks’ celebration on X, he referenced their Cup win and proclaimed, “Next stop: Banner in June.”

It’s been over 52 years since the Knicks last secured an NBA title, and they haven’t made it to the Finals since 1999. The Spurs’ dynasty notably wrapped up after losses to the Houston Rockets in 1994 and again against the Knicks in ’99.

Mamdani, who won the mayoral election in November, faced some controversy recently. Just days after he filed an injunction against the Knicks for using their logo in campaign ads, the team stated they do not back his candidacy. They issued a cease-and-desist letter regarding the unauthorized logo use, making it clear they “oppose the use of the copyrighted logo” and intend to enforce their rights.

Interestingly, shortly after his victory over Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, the official White House account on X posted an image declaring “Trump is your president.” However, that post was quickly taken down.