When the final buzzer sounded at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, the crowd remained on its feet giving a standing ovation to the history that had just unfolded on the hardwood. The New York Knicks had completed the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, overcoming a 29-point deficit to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs.
The crowd reveled in the outcome, which put the Knicks just one victory away from hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy and snapping a 53-year championship drought. The postgame media frenzy in the heart of New York City suited the moment and almost felt akin to a championship celebration. Compared to Monday night, when the crowd left disappointed in the outcome, Wednesday’s raucous throng soaked in the feeling that this Knicks team might be the one to rectify years of futility.
That is how the environment felt when Knicks G Jalen Brunson missed a three-point basket in the final seconds of the game. But out of practically nowhere, Knicks F OG Anunoby charged inside and tipped in the basketball to give the team a one-point lead with 1.2 seconds remaining. The arena, quite literally, was shaking at the core in response to a moment decades in the making. Once the Knicks secured the victory, it turned into a cathartic nightclub with a mix of disbelief and anticipation for a potential clinching game Saturday night.
Longtime Knicks public address announcer Mike Walczewski conveyed the incredulity felt in the arena by enunciating the point total, specifically of the Spurs, with an emphasis that deviates from his usual staccato. On the air, the broadcasts shared a similar sentiment, with TNT Sports analyst Charles Barkley referring to the Spurs as the “dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization.”
Barkley was broadcasting on ESPN from the near side of the floor with colleagues Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny “The Jet” Smith, along with Golden State Warriors F and guest analyst Draymond Green. Early in the TNT-produced studio show — which has been airing on ESPN/ABC throughout the season under a sublicensing agreement — Johnson asked producer Tim Kiely to hold off on playing the highlights to ensure viewers from afar could effectively comprehend the scene. The timing worked out to have Brunson on set talking through key plays in the second half.
Amidst a maze of cameras, microphones and wiring, both “Inside the NBA” and its lead-out — “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” — recorded at the same time and adjacent to one another on the court. Several other postgame shows were spread across the baselines, including those from NBA TV and MSG Networks, while media members situated throughout the area spoke with attendees about what they had just witnessed.
While Madison Square Garden usually empties out quickly after games for fans to catch trains or get their cars out of nearby parking lots, this was not the case on Wednesday night. No one was going to leave right away after this historic result, and the stands remained relatively full nearly 20 minutes following the conclusion of the game. The NYPD set up a secure perimeter in the blocks surrounding the arena for both home games, but celebrations still took place at watch parties and sports bars across the city.
Beyond the arena, it has become just about impossible to navigate New York City without running into someone wearing Knicks gear. The line for the team store has stretched down the entryway into the arena, even when the team is on the road, and people have continued to exclaim the “Knicks in five!” rallying cry.
Even though the city has two teams in each of the “Big Four” professional sports leagues, the division that separates baseball, hockey and football fans is practically nonexistent with basketball at the moment. The city did not unite behind the Rangers in this way when the team played in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, and the same is true for the Mets and Yankees, who made World Series appearances in 2015 and 2024, respectively. Most everyone in New York City seems to believe that the 2025-26 Knicks are a team of destiny and are rooting for them to close the series on Saturday night.
A who’s who of celebrities stayed in the minutes after the game when MSG blasted hits such as “Go NY Go,” “Mama Said Knock You Out” and “One More Time.” Knicks alumni Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Carmelo Anthony, Bernard King and Bill Bradley were also in the building. And, of course, legendary Knicks G and MSG Networks analyst Walt “Clyde” Frazier was present and took in the scene well after the crowd departed the arena bowl.
Scores of broadcasters, journalists and content creators navigated the labyrinth of the arena hidden from the general public throughout the night. Those holding credentials with court access documented the revelry and disbelief on the court, while other media members were in the stands setting up live shots and taking in the atmosphere.
Beneath the stands, an auxiliary media workroom set up to accommodate the hundreds of industry professionals on site for the NBA Finals was teeming with activity. Green rooms for the television networks were set up down the hall, giving the broadcasters a space to prepare for their shows and watch the action. From there, a temporary press conference space draped by black curtains and studio-style lighting was being used for reporters to gather quotes from the players and coaches. The usual press conference space beneath the primary media workroom was in use as well where, just days earlier, celebrities such as Ben Stiller, Fat Joe and Jadakiss watched as Knicks head coach Mike Brown spoke to reporters.
As is typical at an NBA Finals, the Knicks and Spurs practiced and held media availability from the arena prior to Monday’s Game 3, something that does not happen during the rest of the year. While it is not uncommon for road teams to practice at arenas, MSG usually changes setups multiple times a week for other events aside from basketball, including hockey games, concerts, wrestling bouts and tennis matches, and the Knicks usually hold their sessions at their facility in Tarrytown.
The Knicks led off this practice session, the last 30 minutes of which were accessible to media, and reporters stayed to watch the front half-hour of the Spurs practice following an assortment of press conferences. Some players spoke in the usual press conference setting, while others stood in front of the step and repeat answering questions next to an oversized replica trophy.
Athletes navigated the walkways to spaces set up for one-on-one interviews, including with “Good Morning America” and SiriusXM, along with a conversation with the ESPN/ABC lead NBA broadcast team of Mike Breen, Tim Legler, Richard Jefferson and Lisa Salters.
There were also other interviews on the court with companies such as Amazon Prime Video, ESPN, Sky Sports and CCTV. Aside from the assembled writers, the NBA had player correspondents at the practice day and games, including BYU Cougars G AJ Dybantsa and New Orleans Pelicans G Jeremiah Fears, the latter of whom had played against the Knicks less than three months earlier and dropped 21 points in 20 minutes off the bench.
Prior to the arena opening to fans Wednesday, media members from local news outlets such as ABC7 New York, NBC 4 New York and Fox 5 New York were recording standups from the court and in the stands. Most of the journalists were seated on the Hyundai Bridge, and there was a mix of regional and national outlets covering the games. Local staples such as the New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Wall Street Journal, SNY and Newsday sent reporters to the games. Some of the other platforms doing the same included Yahoo Sports, The Athletic, Bleacher Report, the Washington Post, the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Ringer.
For reference, the playing surface at Madison Square Garden sits on the fifth floor of the building located above Penn Station, which is one of the busiest travel hubs in the world. The Hyundai Bridge is on the 10th floor of the arena, and there is additional media seating in the 200 level on the eighth floor. This level also has space for broadcasters to call the action, including the Knicks and Spurs local radio teams and the ESPN alternate broadcast for Game 3 led by Pat McAfee.
The national ESPN Radio broadcast of the NBA Finals games in New York, which included Marc Kestecher, Doris Burke, P.J. Carlesimo and Jorge Sedano, took place from one of the broadcast booths on the Hyundai Bridge. International broadcasters and camera people occupied some of the other spaces just below the arena’s iconic concave ceiling.
The media side of the Hyundai Bridge contains two rows of standard seating with glass desktops, embedded televisions and power outlets. For this occasion, however, risers were installed to accommodate photographers, who used cameras with powerful zoom lenses to capture the matchup five stories below.
While balcony sections on the 10th floor are generally open to the public, some of these spaces functioned as media seating for the NBA Finals, an indication of the sheer volume of personnel covering the games. In addition, SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio built a set where shows hosted by Frank Isola and Stephen A. Smith took the air with special guests such as Spike Lee.
The walkway on top of the Hyundai Bridge allowed spectators to see the back half of the 200-level seating, which was draped with commemorative T-shirts and rally towels before each game. Moving past the broadcast booths, which are at the center of the bridge, there was a temporary television studio between the walkway — one half featuring cameras, lights and microphones, while the other functioned as a control area.
Alexis Morgan, Mo Dakhil and Zach Harper hosted “NBA X Live” from this location, and ESPN subsequently aired its “Hoop Streams” digital pregame show with Vanessa Richardson, Iman Shumpert and Jeremy Lin from the same spot closer to game time.
While the ESPN/ABC pregame and postgame coverage took place on the court just in front of the television broadcast table, the halftime coverage aired from a space just off the corner of the bridge. The area was adorned with a desk, cameras, lighting and microphones while being concealed from the narrow hallway outside. Both editions of the halftime show ended up having to contend with halftime musical performances — Cardi B on Monday for Game 3, and the Wu-Tang Clan on Wednesday for Game 4.
Prior to the start of Game 4, Christine Williamson broadcast a live edition of “SportsCenter” from the hardwood with guests such as Chiney Ogwumike and Brian Windhorst. Other personnel filmed standups near the floor, and ESPN personalities such as Shams Charania and Scott Van Pelt were viewing warmups and speaking with other media members. Johnson was first on the floor prior to the 90-minute “NBA Tip-Off” pregame show, and he ended up taking a photo at mid-court with Breen as they worked their first NBA Finals on the same network.
When the Knicks last played in the NBA Finals during the spring of 1999, the internet was in its early phases and not a primary source for sports and news reporting. Most newspapers were still being delivered via print rather than digital platforms, and social media outlets such as Facebook, X and Instagram had not yet been created. The timeliness and relevancy that this generation expects, no less demands, has resulted in reporters posting intel on social media in real time, breaking news outside of articles and promoting their own work.
As the NBA Finals shifts back to San Antonio for a potential clincher in Game 5, any number of narratives could arise from Frost Bank Arena. Perhaps the Spurs extend the series to a sixth game on Tuesday night, an outcome that could pay dividends for media partners in avoiding a short series that has surpassed most viewership expectations through the four guaranteed matchups. Storylines around the Spurs’ youth and resilience, the Knicks’ opportunity to clinch a title at home and direct weekday competition against the FIFA World Cup would likely be accentuated, along with others that remain to be seen.
The same rings true if the Knicks can end the series on Saturday night and win an NBA championship, which would usher in a championship parade down the Canyon of Heroes and put a close on a memorable postseason. Just which outcome occurs remains to be seen, but regardless of the case, a large media contingent will be present to document it all.
