NBA finals: Knicks face Spurs in Game 5 with chance to clinch first title since 1973 – follow live

Knicks visit Spurs for Game 5 with 3-1 series lead

• >New York can clinch first title since 1973 with win

• >Rao: The Knicks became my escape from politics

• >Cochrane: Knicks gear is having a celebrity moment

• >Graham: How Knicks fever reached Rikers Island

• >Reach out to Bryan on Bluesky or by email

It’s national anthem time at the Frost Bank Center. Four-time Grammy nominated country singer Mickey Guyton does the honors. Starting lineups to come and we should be under way any minute now.

>One reason the Knicks’ run has resonated so deeply beyond basketball is that it has arrived at a moment when many Americans seem desperate for a distraction. In her Saturday essay for the Guardian, Ankita Rao argues that New York’s improbable march to the brink of a championship has offered a rare escape from the relentless churn of politics and bad news – and a reminder of the communal joy sports can still provide.

Continue reading...