"Go New York, Go New York, Go!"
The New York Knicks are NBA champions. After defeating the San Antonio Spurs on the road 94-90 in Game 5, the Knicks have broken a 53-year title drought.
New York came back yet again from a double-digit deficit to bring the title home. Jalen Brunson had the game of his life, scoring 45 points with three rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The last time the Knicks won a championship was May 10, 1973, when they defeated Wilt Chamberlain and the Los Angeles Lakers on the road at the Forum in five games with a star-studded roster that included Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe and Phil Jackson.
It has been a long time coming for Knicks fans, exactly 19,392 days since New York won an NBA championship. Sure enough, times were a lot different back then. Here's what the world looked like the last time the Knicks won the title.
Miami Dolphins cap undefeated season
Still the only undefeated campaign in NFL history, the Dolphins went 17-0 after a 14-7 victory over Washington in Super Bowl VII.
Miami scored in the first quarter on a 28-yard reception from Howard Twilley, and Jim Kick's 1-yard TD run in the second quarter extended the lead. Washington had a 49-yard scoop and score in the fourth, but it was too little, too late.
The Dolphins included iconic figures such as coach Don Shula and four first-team All-Pro members: quarterback Earl Morrall, Larry Little, Bill Stanfill and Dick Anderson.
'The Godfather' wins three Oscars, beginning franchise
"The Godfather" was released in March 1972, beginning a legendary film franchise. It received 10 nominations at the 45th Academy Awards, taking home three: "Best Picture," "Best Actor in a Leading Role" and "Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium."
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, "The Godfather" is widely regarded as one of the greatest movies.
Battle of the Sexes I
Fresh off the federal civil rights law of Title IX, 55-year-old former American tennis player Bobby Riggs faced off against women's tennis star Margaret Court, who was 35, in a match deemed "Battle of the Sexes."
Riggs was skeptical of women playing tennis and challenged Court to prove a point. He won May 13, 1973. However, it set the stage for "Battle of the Sexes II," a match against 29-year-old Billie Jean King, whom Riggs had also wanted to face. King defeated Riggs in three sets in September.
After Riggs' death in 1995, King said : "Our 'Battle of the Sexes' match helped to advance the game of tennis and women everywhere."
Secretariat in midst of Triple Crown run
Secretariat's Triple Crown quest was on full display as the Knicks won the title.
On May 6, 1973, he won the Kentucky Derby with a record time of 1:59.40. Two weeks later, he set another record with a victory at the Preakness Stakes. Secretariat capped his Triple Crown with a record time of 2:24 seconds at the Belmont Stakes.
Secretariat became the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown.
Elvis says Aloha from Hawaii
There might not be a more consequential performance in entertainment history than Elvis Presley's in 1973.
"Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii" was a TV special that aired in January 1973 and, according to IMDB , "made history as the first televised event to be simulcast live to 40 countries worldwide." It received 1.5 billion views, still the most-watched entertainment show by a single person.
Presley's live concert was the first by a solo entertainer to be broadcast internationally via a satellite.
"Soul Train" in its second, third seasons
Created by Don Cornelius in 1971 and officially hitting syndicated airwaves in 1972, the Saturday music program "Soul Train" was in its second season with a lineup for the ages.
Around the time the Knicks began their run to the Finals, the show held a special airing for Aretha Franklin, who performed her classic hits that included "Rock Steady" and "Day Dreaming."
A couple of days after the Knicks won the title, The Supremes and Lloyd Price appeared on the show.
Later that year, the iconic Jackson 5 performed on the show, and a young Michael Jackson debuted the famous robot dance to "Dancing Machine." The group also performed "Don't Say Goodbye Again," "Get It Together," "You're In Good Hands" (Jermaine) and "With a Child's Heart" (Michael).
Al Green, James Brown, Stevie Wonder and The Temptations were among the other performers featured that year.
The first mobile phone call was made
In the streets of New York City, Martin Cooper made the first mobile phone call on April 3, 1973. According to NPR , Cooper, then the head of communications at Motorola, was standing on 6th Avenue when he made a phone call -- and you wouldn't believe to whom.
At the time, car phones were believed to be the future. Cooper, though, thought past the portable device and wanted to create something that was more personal. He set out to create something that could fit in one's pocket in 1972. A year later, his team created the mobile device that was 10 inches tall, 1½ inches wide and 3 inches deep. It weighed 2½ pounds.
Bell Labs, which saw the car phone as the future, was Motorola's competitor. Cooper made the phone call to the competitor and said: "I'm calling you from a cellphone but a real cellphone -- the personal, handheld, portable cellphone."