NBA finals: Knicks beat Spurs in Game 5 to win first title in 53 years – as it happened

• New York are champions for first time since 1973

• Wembanyama and San Antonio fall short at home

• Report: Brilliant Brunson shines again with 45 points

• He is him': NBA finals MVP Brunson quiets doubters

• Photos: Ecstasy and chaos grip NYC after Knicks win

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.