NEW YORK — The Knicks’ first championship in 53 years was about so much more than the players, coaches, staffers and front office who made it happen. It was just as much about the generations of New Yorkers who endured the painful years — those who stuck with the Knicks through all of the losing. That much was clear to the fans who celebrated outside of Madison Square Garden on Saturday night ...

Fans celebrate in Central Park after the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, 94-90, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win the series, in New York, on Saturday, June 13, 2026.

Kena Betancur/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

NEW YORK — The Knicks’ first championship in 53 years was about so much more than the players, coaches, staffers and front office who made it happen.

It was just as much about the generations of New Yorkers who endured the painful years — those who stuck with the Knicks through all of the losing.

That much was clear to the fans who celebrated outside of Madison Square Garden on Saturday night after the Knicks won Game 5 of the NBA Finals, 94-90, in San Antonio.

“It’s long overdue,” said Michael Abiola, 29, a stock broker from Lakeview, Long Island. “All the comebacks in every game were killing me. I’m just so glad we could close them out. We are world champions.”

The Knicks’ magical run through the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers and, now, San Antonio Spurs united the city, with revelers celebrating in the streets and at watch parties after each of the 16 wins.

Many didn’t remember — or weren’t even born — when the Knicks last hoisted the championship trophy back in 1973.

“We ended it tonight,“ said Nicole Williams, 38, a Bellevue hospital worker from Brooklyn. “It’s a pure celebration. Pandemonium.“

It was special for those who watched Jalen Brunson score 45 points in Saturday’s clincher en route to Finals MVP, and for those who erupted when OG Anunoby’s put-back capped a Game 4 victory and the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.

And it was special for those who were there in spirit, too.

Michelle Cardona, 50, a program director for a domestic violence organization, said her late boyfriend “waited his whole life for this.”

“He’s been dead six years,” said Cardona of Williamsburg. “And I know he’s dancing in heaven.”