By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 19:39 EST, 19 December 2025 | Updated: 19:39 EST, 19 December 2025
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Knicks celebrated their NBA Cup championship Friday night, even though they aren't commemorating it with a banner at Madison Square Garden.
As players lined the court before the playing of the national anthem ahead of their game against Philadelphia, highlights from the Knicks' victories during their march to the championship played on the overhead scoreboard. After the final one, from their victory over San Antonio in the final on Tuesday, the public address announcer asked fans to join in congratulating the team for its achievement.
Fans responded with a standing ovation.
The Knicks broke with the Cup's brief tradition by deciding not to hang a banner after winning it. The two previous winners, the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks, both celebrated their titles with a banner.
Winning the Cup, with the semifinals and finals in Las Vegas, created somewhat of an extra road trip for the Knicks. The game Friday was their first at Madison Square Garden since beating Orlando on Dec. 7.
It also created some panic for first-year coach Mike Brown. A few inches of snow fell in the area north of New York City where he lives while the Knicks were away, and he didn't own a shovel and didn't know how to remove it when his sister-in-law, who was staying at the house, alerted him.
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) celebrates with teammates after his team's victory against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup championship basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
"We had snow in our driveway and our walkway and my sister-in-law called us and she was panicked, because I´m an Amazon junkie and so we´re getting the Amazon packages delivered. She was like, `Somebody´s going to slip. I need a shovel,´" Brown said. "I was like, `Shovel? Oh my god, who do I call?´"
He ended up calling their builder, who sent someone to remove the snow.
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New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown calls to his team from the sideline during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)