Updated 09.45 | Published 09.38
The New York Knicks became NBA champions for the first time in 53 years.
After the final match, scenes of chaos broke out in the city centre.
– To everyone celebrating in New York tonight: take care of yourselves. Celebrate, but do it safely, Knicks owner James Dolan reports CNN.
The American channel writes that the Knicks fans took over the streets of New York City after the victory. People climb lampposts and buses.
Early on Sunday morning, several should have been arrested, according to the local police. It is not clear how many there are or what crimes they are suspected of.
The decisive match against the San Antonio Spurs was played in Texas, but in several places in the big city on the east coast, the supporters could follow on the big screen. Around Madison Square Garden, traffic came to a complete halt after the final signal for safety reasons.
As the evening turned into night, the celebration escalated.
Smashed windshields
Around Times Square, several vehicles were vandalized. Among other things, the bonnet was ripped off by a parked school bus. Fireworks were fired into the crowd in the square.
Several police cars allegedly had their windshields smashed and the officers allegedly had bottles and coolers thrown at them.
To calm the situation, mounted police officers have been deployed. The local police have been prepared for trouble. For example, barricades were set up around Madison Square Garden before the game.
“New Yorkers have been waiting for this moment for more than 50 years. Through near misses, heartbreak and the hope that every year could be our year, this city never stopped believing in the Knicks”, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement.
On Thursday, the city will hold a victory parade.
MAKE YOUR DREAM XI FOR THE WORLD CUP – GET YOUR WORLD CUP XI HERE
