Manhattanites took to the streets in wild celebration on the night of June 13th, after the Knicks closed out the NBA Finals with thrilling victory in Game 5, giving them a four-to-one record over the San Antonio Spurs, ending a 53-year championship drought for the city. After being down for nearly the entire game, Jalen Brunson led a marvelous 16-point comeback, scoring 47 points of the team’s 104 total points. While the game took place in San Antonio fans at home made their presence known by swinging from street signs, dancing on top of vehicles, and marching towards Madison Square Garden, which attracted thousands of fans even though the there was no watch party.<\/p>\n
In one reel posted on Instagram, a half dozen cops were seen chasing a Knicks fan who was holding a burning San Antonio Spurs jersey. But there were reports that a 17 year old was shot in the Times Square celebration. And fans who climbed atop five school buses in the area ended up setting one on fire.<\/p>\n
Some of the city\u2019s politicians were also interested in partaking in the celebrations. Most notably, Assemblyman Keith Powers, who is running for reelection, was in attendance in San Antonio celebrating with Knicks Legend John Starks<\/a> and other retired players.<\/p>\n Assemblyman Alex Bores, who is in a tight race for a New York House seat in the democratic primaries, watched the game from a bar Hell\u2019s Kitchen<\/a>, partying with supporters on the street as seen on his social media. His opponent, Micah Lasher had hung a Knick jersey in the window of his East Side satellite office.<\/p>\n The partying turned destructive as the night went on. Members of the crowd set a bus that transports fans to MetLife Stadium for the World Cup on fire. The four other buses also suffered damage at the hands of rampaging fans. Those involved lit clothing on fire, initiating the flames as other fans continued to dance on top of the bus. According to the police, 63 arrests were made during the celebrations.<\/p>\n One of the major incidents occurred around 2:00 a.m. when a 17-year-old boy was shot once in the foot near Times Square. He was taken to the hospital in stable condition, though police said an ambulance was initially unable to access 43rd Street \u201cbecause the crowds completely took it over.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor shared his thoughts about the city’s reaction to the game on WNYC\u2019S The Brian Lehrer Show. \u201cI think that the truth of it is that the vast majority of New Yorkers celebrated responsibly, and they celebrated in a way that reflected how long they\u2019ve been waiting for this,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cNo matter how excited we are, there is no tolerance or acceptance for any kind of violence.\u201d<\/p>\n Moving past the mayhem, New York City will host a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes on Thursday, June 18th. Although it is the third time the Knicks have won an NBA Championship after 1970 and 1973, remarkably, it is the first time the team will honored with its own parade. That celebration officially kicks off at 10:00 a.m. in Lower Manhattan and will make its way up from the Battery and travel north on Broadway. The route proceeds through the Financial District before wrapping up outside City Hall, where the mayor will present the Knicks team, including Jalen Brunson, Og Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and others, with keys to the city.<\/p>\n Since the parade falls on a Thursday, it prompted some to launch an online petition requesting that city schools close for the day, allowing students to take part in the festivities. The petition on Change.org<\/a> has amassed over 2,000 signatures as we were heading to press on June 15, but it is not likely to succeed. Mayor Mamdani, who had issued an executive order last week cancelling bedtime so kids could stay up and watch the games, he said there was no chance for a school shutdown. He joked with radio host Brian Lehrer, \u201cUnlike the executive order for bedtimes, this is something I cannot repeal.\u201d<\/p>\n