Knicks Fans Took Over San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals

New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and center Karl-Anthony Towns had a home atmosphere in Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Spurs are the home team in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, but it sure doesn’t look or feel like that.

Despite the franchise’s efforts to prevent Knicks fans from getting tickets to a potential closeout game, the team’s supporters found their way into Frost Bank Center. It wasn’t just a legion of celebrities who crashed the gate, the stands are filled with fans in Knicks jerseys.

As soon as the doors opened, Knicks fans could be seen pouring into the building:

Knicks fans arrive to Game 5 pic.twitter.com/uxpfoxAqEY

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 13, 2026

When Victor Wembanyama hit the floor for warm-ups, the Knicks fans in attendance booed him loudly:

Knicks fans booing Wemby in San Antonio 😳

Game 5 on 8:30 ET on ABC and the ESPN App! pic.twitter.com/wYeNDloBEr

— ESPN (@espn) June 14, 2026

Whole sections of the arena appeared to be filled with blue jerseys:

Knicks fans have traveled to San Antonio in big numbers 👀 pic.twitter.com/xB74QdRMXn

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 14, 2026

And more...

Oh my goodness it’s all Knicks fans pic.twitter.com/4ifkJ1Vgnp

— The Strickland (@TheStrickland) June 14, 2026

When Jalen Brunson hit an early three-pointer, the crowd went nuts:

The sound of the Knicks fans in San Antonio after Jalen Brunson's three 😲 pic.twitter.com/Sb2wG4Aqgy

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 14, 2026

None of this is to say that Spurs fans aren’t in the arena. San Antonio has a great fan base and they’ve been loud early on when things go well for their team. But there are a sizeable amount of Knicks fans in attendance for a big game.

Knicks can close out the series tonight

New York leads the series 3–1 heading into Game 5 and the team has a chance to close out the series and take home the franchise’s first championship in 53 years. Clearly a lot of Knicks fans decided they couldn’t miss an opportunity to see that happen in person.

The Knicks authored a remarkable comeback in Game 4, as they trailed the Spurs by 29 points midway through the third quarter. They won it thanks to a remarkable tip-in by OG Anunoby with 1.2 seconds remaining.

After losing Game 3 at home, it looked like New York would cede momentum in the series, but Anunoby’s miracle tip helped them regain the upper hand. Now the Knicks can end it all on Saturday night with a lot of their fans watching.

Spurs tried to prevent Knicks fans from attending

As mentioned, the Spurs worked with Ticketmaster to restrict the area from which fans were allowed to buy tickets to Game 5. No one outside a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center was allowed to purchase a ticket through Ticketmaster. The franchise claimed the policy had been in place throughout the playoffs to help prioritize tickets for the local community.

Hours before the game, MSG Sports confirmed that the Spurs wouldn’t be taking tickets from Knicks fans who attended:

Contrary to prior reporting, we’ve confirmed with Spurs ownership that they will not be revoking any tickets that Knicks fans have to tonight’s game in San Antonio and all ticket holders will be allowed in to Frost Bank Arena. We look forward to tonight’s game.

So the Spurs tried to prevent Knicks fans from buying tickets, but never planned to prevent them from attending if they happened to have them.

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