The New York Knicks ended their 53-year wait for their third NBA title by beating the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 in Game 5 on Saturday at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, to conclude the best-of-seven Finals series at 4-1.
Various sports experts and analysts discussed how the Knicks appeared motivated to end more than half a century of frustration.
On Monday, a clip of a speech by Knicks owner James Dolan resurfaced on social media, featuring a pledge that may have inspired the team’s incredible playoff run.
What James Dolan Promised the Knicks Before Their NBA Title Run
Days after clinching an Eastern Conference playoff spot, Dolan delivered a heartfelt speech to the team, expressing his support and motivating the Knicks as they headed into the playoffs.
Dolan, who admitted he never gives a motivational speech to the team, told his ballclub he didn’t want to miss the chance to share his feelings about them.
He expressed belief that the team could go all the way and said he had never felt closer to achieving that goal.
“It will stick with you the rest of your lives,” Dolan said about winning the championship. “And if you don’t win, you’ll be thinking about it the rest of your lives.”
Roommates EXCLUSIVE❗
NEVER BEFORE SEEN speech from Jim Dolan before the Knicks playoff run 🏆 pic.twitter.com/oZYBGinxYo
— Roommates Show (@Roommates__Show) June 15, 2026
The 71-year-old businessman and chief executive officer of Madison Square Garden Sports then pledged to buy championship rings for the team’s spouses and partners if the Knicks won the NBA title.
“When we win the championship, we will get rings. And when we get rings, so will they,” Dolan said. “I will buy a ring for each one of your significant others because their contribution is going to be very important to this team’s win.”
The team owner then advised the entire team to make sacrifices over the next 10 weeks to achieve the championship goal.
He asked them to watch their diets and get adequate rest so they could come into every game as strong as ever.
“It’s not a long time. But if you can now focus yourselves, sacrifice everything you have for these next 10 weeks to win that championship. I believe you can do it,” he said.
The team owner also half-jokingly asked his players to abstain from sex to fully focus on the task at hand and gain a competitive edge. But he made it clear to his team that they should be willing to sacrifice themselves to ultimately achieve the objective of winning an NBA title for the city.
“Don’t tell them you’re not going to have sex. Don’t tell ’em it was my idea. But let them know what this is gonna be like, what your commitment is gonna be like, and how they’re gonna have to sacrifice too,” he said.
New York played like a team on a mission during the playoffs, finding ways to win throughout the postseason.
The Knicks went 16-3 in that admirable run, which included victories over Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Cleveland, before exacting revenge on the Spurs, who beat them in the 1999 NBA Finals by the same series scoreline.
