The Knicks’ 94-90 victory over the Spurs on Saturday night delivered a major television audience as New York secured its first NBA championship in 53 years.
The Game 5 broadcast averaged 24.5 million viewers across ABC and ESPN, making it the most-watched NBA Finals Game 5 since 1998.
The win capped a historic night for the Knicks, who ended a championship drought that had stretched more than five decades. The close four-point result added to the drama of a title-clinching game that drew one of the league’s strongest television audiences in decades.