Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
As you may have heard, the Knicks won the NBA championship last night in a tense game 5 versus the San Antonio Spurs, setting off celebrations across the city, including in the East Village.
These photos were taken along Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street, where ABC Beer Co. and HiLot were streaming the game outside.
The two broadcasts were slightly out of sync, creating a ripple effect as cheers erupted up and down the block after big shots, blocks and fouls.
After the final buzzer, hundreds of fans poured into the street.
There was plenty of hugging, dancing, singing and the occasional shower of beer. Some people climbed onto cars, scaffolding and light poles for a better view of the scene.
Police arrived but largely kept to the sidelines as the celebration unfolded. Fireworks went off overhead, and smoke from flares and fireworks hung in the air as fans lingered well into the night.
Now, when Journey sounds really good ...
Avenue C celebrates the Knicks championship win pic.twitter.com/Mqmzd1yjAo
— Stacie Joy (@Joy_of_photos) June 14, 2026
10 comments:
It was exciting and a good game, but really, do you need to climb on the top of cars, hopefully those girls were arrested and are going to Rykers.
You need to go to PC Jail for calling women girls.
I live off the corner of 7th and C. Man, after 16 years of living in this neighborhood, I never witnessed anything such as this. The jubilation and excitement was palpable. Respectfully, sports is not my thing, but all of those people were so happy. We need happiness right now when our government and leaders are failing and dividing us. As a proud New Yorker, our city feels like a beacon of hope and light. I will be looking forward though to some quiet sleep tonight finally. Go Knicks!
As I lifelong Knick fan I was filled with joy at the victory, but when I stepped out to join in the celebration what I encountered was a mob of drunken 20 somethings many who became Knick fans last week because they needed another reason to get wasted on Saturday night. It was a bit sad in a way because it wasn't really a celebration of this team, but instead evidence that the EV has been colonized and is a party destination. I was looking for a sense of community and left with a sense of further alienation. Happy for the Knicks though as they appear to be a group of good men who put the common good of themselves, the antithesis of what I witnessed last night on the streets of the EV.
What a memorable night. Wow! Happy for all of the excited fans. I just don't understand why those in midtown set school buses on fire, vandalized property, and physically attacked others, including law enforcement. You can have a good time and celebrate this historical moment with friends, but why do so many act like anarchists and animals in the wild? The videos going viral on social media are bonkers. Why does this need to happen? We're all adults here.
@11:50 Government and leaders cannot solve every problem. Ordinary folks are equally responsible for our own failures and divisions. The NBA Finals offered a nice window into certain average Joes who live by example.
happiest ive seen this place since election night '08
Grew up there and…. being v kind, wasn’t the place where ur hanging out. Cops wouldn’t dare come down. Oh, they called it “Alphabet City”. Lovely vampires nodding out everywhere and gangs. How it changed. Still, the memories r quite vivid.
I've never seen such a game conjure up so much raw emotion and insanity at the same time. I guess last night was once in a lifetime.
"Don't Stop Believin'" is nearly twice as old as most of this crowd! Corny since released, but clearly a permanent crowd-pleaser. Hate the Knicks, can't begrudge fans the good time.
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