Last Saturday, June 13, Pilot House was ablaze in orange, blue and white with NY Knicks fans flooding the entire sports bar to support their team facing off the San Antonio Spurs at Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Championship. From the inside bar to the outdoor patio, spilling out into the lawn that connects Pilot House to Arverne By The Sea’s The Tides luxury apartments—fans were glued to the over 25+ screens at the popular Arverne sports bar. Even the rooftop patio was filled with Knickerbocker fans shouting, “Knicks in Five!” And in the final nail-biting seconds of the game with the Spurs ahead with a narrow four-point lead, Knicks OG Anunoby secured the rebound as the buzzer sounded, propelling the Knicks to win the championship with a score of 94-90.
As fans were jumping, hugging, some crying with tears of joy—the Knicks clinching their first NBA championship since 1973—was not just a triumph for the Knicks franchise, but all of NY. As stated by Pilot House co-owner, Amy Tichenor, “This win is also for the fans who stuck with them for all these years. And to see us at Pilot House, and other local restaurants and bars enjoying this moment together is something we’ll all never forget. Plus, the Knicks’ win is good for local businesses.”
Just in Rockaway and Broad Channel, businesses such as Adrienne’s, Jamesons, Callie’s, Harbor Light, Bungalow Bar, Blarney 2.0 and numerous others also witnessed the historic moment.
Adrienne’s proprietor, Chris Keegan, said, “The way people reacted when the Knicks won, and even throughout the game, was almost insane. Adrienne’s is not really outfitted to be a sports bar, but I knew we had to show the game, and I’m happy we did. People will always remember the day the Knicks won, and where they saw it.”
At Callie’s, located on Beach 129th Street, both outdoor spaces were packed. Owner Tom Callaghan said, “It was insane—but a good insane.”
According to a June 8 article in CBS News: “Knicks’ NBA Finals run could generate $465 million for NYC’s economy,” Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York Hospitality Alliance, said. “Bars and restaurants have really, really been struggling the past bunch of years, but this is a boom.”
Established in 1946 by Ned Irish, The New York Knickerbockers, commonly called the New York Knicks, were among the founding members of the Basketball Association of America (BAA), which merged with the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949 to form the NBA. Under their first head coach, Joe Lapchick, the Knicks were a perennial playoff contender, reaching three consecutive NBA Finals between 1951 to 1953 but never winning a championship. After Lapchick resigned in 1956, the franchise entered a prolonged decline, reaching the playoffs once between 1956 and 1966. They returned to prominence in the late 1960s under head coach Red Holzman, winning their first NBA championships in 1970 and 1973. As for fans, they have stuck with the team through all its highs and lows throughout the decades.
One 32-year-old diehard fan, who came from Brooklyn to see the game at Pilot House, shared, “I’m very excited. Today was the worst day of my life, and now my best day of my life. I buried my mother today. I came out to be happy, and the Knicks won.
“I’m only 32, but I feel the emotion for everybody that are in their 40s and 50s. For my mother who passed, tonight’s game would be the best moment ever. Being around Knicks fans is like being around family. And after losing my mother today, I needed to be around family. I came to the game with my friend, and we knew we had it in the bag. We have Jalen Brunson. Never fear, Jalen Brunson is here.”
For local 18-year-old Trace Davis, watching the championship Knicks game with fans is about keeping NY Knicks’ culture alive. She said, “My parents never saw this coming. We made it to the playoffs a lot of times, but we never got a championship. This team was great the entire season. We went on a nice winning streak towards the end of season, winning 13 straight games, and that helped a lot to get us here tonight. Tonight is what people have been waiting for over 50 years. I’m just 18, and tonight is the best night of my life. I used to play for the Junior Knicks basketball team and Team Lightning. So, yes, tonight is huge for me.”
