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Why the Knicks, disrespected but clawing back, touched a raw nerve in New York City and ultimately the country

The team that was written off as lucky overachievers won 13 straight and clawed back from behind in every game

By Howard Kurtz Fox News

Published June 16, 2026 3:00am EDT

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Bill Hemmer Stops By To Celebrate The Knicks Ending Their 53-Year Championship Drought

Bill Hemmer joins Jimmy Failla on Fox Across America to talk about the New York Knicks winning the 2026 NBA Finals. 

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This is about a game, about overcoming adversity, about beating the odds, and about a city that is at once great and glamorous, yet oppressively hard to live in.

But the Knicks, in winning their first championship in 53 years, are not just a New York story. Their teamwork, discipline and dedication became a national story, a Cinderella story. They touched hearts in a very cynical culture. 

Imagine if politicians acted like this. If they put aside their hyper-partisanship and ideological agendas for the good of the country. If their default setting was cooperation and compromise rather than grabbing credit and demonizing opponents. Okay, you’re right. It’s too hard to imagine. 

It’s not about how many points Jalen Brunson scored (45 in Game 5, when he single-handedly carried the Knicks to victory). It’s about how he was long dismissed as weak and undersized (by NBA standards). The 6-foot-2 Brunson, who wasn’t drafted until the second round, had something to prove. Think of all the folks who feel underrated or misunderstood at their job, and how deeply they want to be recognized for their value.

TAYLOR SWIFT DANCES, SHIMMIES AND STEALS HEADLINES AS KNICKS ERASE 29-POINT HOLE IN NBA FINALS STUNNER

A fan celebrates the New York Knicks' win against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, on a street near Madison Square Garden, in New York........

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