The Knicks Are NBA Champions! The Moments We’ll Remember Forever.

June 15, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years, capping off a 16-3 playoff run with the greatest postseason point differential in NBA history. Zach Lowe is joined by lifelong Knicks fan Sean Fennessey and beat reporter Fred Katz to luxuriate in the championship before the league pivots to offseason trade rumors. The conversation centers on how a team that was merely good in the regular season transformed into a historically dominant playoff force, the specific mechanisms that allowed them to beat Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs, and what Jalen Brunson’s performance means for his place in franchise history.

The Mechanism of the Knicks’ Dominance

The Knicks’ playoff run was anomalous not just in its result but in its shape. They were a 53-win team with clear flaws, yet they went 15-1 in their last 16 playoff games and posted a plus-15 point differential. Lowe argues there is no clean historical comp. The 2001 Lakers (15-1) were a defending dynasty with Shaq and Kobe; the 2023 Nuggets (16-4, plus-8) were close but not as dominant by margin.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Advertisements** - New Era and Weather Tech ads.
2 (01:22) **Show Intro: Knicks are Champions** - Zach Lowe welcomes listeners to a special Sunday edition, announcing the New York Knicks are NBA champions for the first time in 53 years. He sets up the episode's purpose: to luxuriate in the championship before moving on to offseason talk.
3 (03:53) **Sean Fennessey's Fan Experience** - Long-suffering Knicks fan Sean Fennessey joins to describe watching the clinching game from the West Coast.
4 (08:34) **The Greatest Five-Game Series** - Lowe and Fennessey discuss the incredible tension of the series, pushing back on Victor Wembanyama's claim that the Spurs "dominated most of the series."
5 (11:19) **Frozen Moment: The OG Anunoby Tip-In** - The hosts break down the most iconic play of the series: OG Anunoby's game-winning tip-in at the end of Game 4.
6 (19:34) **Frozen Moment: Brunson's Fourth-Quarter Mastery** - Lowe and Fennessey analyze Jalen Brunson's incredible performance in Game 5, focusing on his game-winning floater with a minute left.
7 (26:22) **The Final Sequence: Harper's Miss & Free Throws** - Lowe walks through the chaotic final 30 seconds, starting with Dylan Harper's missed layup.

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Show Notes

Zach is joined by Sean Fennessey to discuss what the Knicks winning the title means for the city of New York. Then, Fred Katz comes on to share the moments he’ll remember forever from the Knicks run and debate if Jalen Brunson is the greatest Knick of all time.

(0:00) Welcome to The Zach Lowe Show!

(1:36) Sean Fennessey joins the show!

(13:20) Were the Spurs not well conditioned enough?

(18:19) You knew the Knicks would close the gap when they fell down big again

(20:20) There was zero doubt in Jalen Brunson last night

(25:06) Let’s go through the end game of the Knicks winning the championship

(32:10) These storylines are a home run for the NBA

(37:28) Zach’s love letter to NYC

(54:30) Fred Katz joins the show!

(58:36) Kat taking in the moment last night

(1:03:14) This Knicks team was so connected

(1:06:53) What changed for the Knicks during the Hawks series?

(1:14:27) Gotta give OG his due

(1:17:38) Brunson’s floater isn’t really being discussed

(1:23:53) Is Jalen Brunson the greatest Knick of all time?

(1:28:30) What to expect from the Knicks’ free agents

(1:33:30) Rapid-fire offseason takes

Host: Zach Lowe

Guests: Sean Fennessey and Fred Katz

Producers: Mike Wargon, Jonathan Frias, and Billy Gil

Social: Keith Fujimoto and Michael Szokoli

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