The New York Knicks ended a 53-year championship drought on June 13, defeating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. In the days following the franchise’s first title since 1973, a revealing detail emerged about a message owner James Dolan delivered before the postseason began.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Dolan addressed the team in the locker room shortly before the playoffs and stressed the importance of sacrifice over the next 10 weeks. Among his remarks was a lighthearted request that quickly became a memorable part of the speech.
“He jokingly asked the players to avoid fornication during the postseason,” Begley reported.
The comment drew laughs, but the larger message centered on commitment, accountability and keeping the group united during a championship chase. Dolan also encouraged players to resolve disagreements through direct conversations rather than airing frustrations publicly through the media.
Most importantly, he told the team how strongly he believed in its chances to accomplish something no Knicks roster had achieved in more than five decades.
According to Begley, the speech resonated inside the locker room.
“They were a little surprised, but the words hit,” one person familiar with the situation told SNY.
Ten weeks later, the results were undeniable.
The Knicks entered the playoffs after finishing 53-29, good for third place in the Eastern Conference. They proceeded to compile one of the most dominant postseason runs in franchise history, winning 16 of 19 playoff games and closing the postseason on a 13-game winning streak after falling behind 2-1 in the NBA Finals.
New York eliminated the Atlanta Hawks in six games, swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals and then swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks finished the job against a 62-win Spurs team led by Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox and rookie Dylan Harper.
At the center of the championship run was Jalen Brunson. The All-Star guard averaged 28.4 points and 6.1 assists across 19 playoff games while shooting 46.5% from the field. His defining performance came in the title-clinching Game 5, when he scored 45 points, including 13 consecutive Knicks points in the fourth quarter.
Brunson’s 45-point outburst set a franchise record for points in an NBA Finals game, surpassing the previous mark of 38 established by Knicks legend Willis Reed in 1970.
The supporting cast delivered throughout the postseason as well. OG Anunoby averaged 20.1 points while shooting 56.1% from the field and 48.9% from three-point range. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 15.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game, while Mikal Bridges added 13.5 points on 55.9% shooting.
Whether Dolan’s joking request had any effect on the outcome is impossible to quantify. What is measurable is the unity and resilience the Knicks displayed throughout the playoffs. They rallied from double-digit deficits in all four of their Finals victories, including a 29-point comeback in Game 4 that became the largest comeback in NBA Finals history.
