New Yorkers celebrate a thrilling possibility: The Knicks could soon be championsIf the Knicks win the finals game on Saturday, they will become NBA champions, and their fans are already buzzing with excitement.2 hrs agoUS & Canada

New York City is pulsing with more energy than usual as the Knicks prepare to face the Spurs in crucial game five of the NBA Finals tonight.

Hours ahead of the game – taking place in San Antonio at the Spurs’ home court – sports bars were already packed with fans excitedly chattering, mingling, and drinking mostly beer.

If the Knicks win this game in the best-of-seven series, they will clinch the championship for the first time in more than 50 years.

That possibility has taken over the city’s psyche. A river of blue and orange – the Knicks colours – courses through sidewalks and subway platforms. A historic church dons a “Go Knicks!” banner, while bars’ clapboard signs advertise the game.

There’s a fizzy anticipation in the air like a champagne bottle about to pop its cork.

“I grew up watching the Knicks. They were so bad for so long,” said Jake Minicucci while sitting with his friends on the patio of a Manhattan sports bar “This might be the first time I cry in a very long time, tonight.”

“This city is electric,” he added. “I’ve never gotten so many head nods, everybody knowing we are in it for the Knicks together.”

Inside the bar, nearly every person was wearing Knicks gear – jerseys, hats, t-shirts, or just blue or orange clothing.

“I’ve lived here all my life, I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said 24-year-old Daniel Brown. “This has an opportunity – knock on wood – to be one of the best nights in the history of this city.”

This season has represented a stunning reversal of fortune for the Knicks after decades as one of the worst teams in the league. The last time they made it all the way to the finals was in 1999, also against the Spurs, who ultimately beat them. Their last finals win was even earlier, in 1973.

They held a 3-1 lead in the series heading into Saturday’s.

“As a New York sports fan, I’m terrified,” Charlie Digiovanni, 25, said. But, he added, the team proved in game four that they can pull out a win no matter what.

A bartender going by Andrew, who moved to New York from Ireland four years ago, said the vibe at the nearby pub where he works has been “absolutely mental” and “pandemonium.”

“It’s going to be more of the same tonight,” he said.

One Knicks fan, DJ Coffui, who moved to the city for an internship just two weeks ago from New Jersey said: “The buzz is unbelievable – just need to seal the deal tonight.”

The Knicks’ finals run has also spurred entrepreneurship.

Theresa, a retired Verizon technician living in Harlem, started selling Knicks t-shirts and dresses that she printed herself. With her cart full of bootleg gear, which sells for $20 to $40 (£15 to £30), she posted up on the sidewalk outside a sports bar on Friday. She uses vinyl or screen-prints to make her wares, and offers custom shirts.

“I wanted to just have everybody have the team spirit, the New York spirit,” Theresa said. “That’s the main thing, is to get New York to get the momentum going.”

Spurs fans are also navigating a city gripped with Knicks fever, and they “are just as much part of the city as anyone else”, said Dave Rizo, owner of Yellow Rose, a San Antonio, Texas-themed restaurant in Manhattan.

A cardboard cutout of Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, a Spurs flag and painted banner, and a signed card from Spurs owner Peter Holt greet customers. But while it has livestreamed the finals for customers, the restaurant – which is not a sports bar – has maintained a low-key vibe. Rizo says he’s keeping it that way.

“I don’t want to unintentionally add more fuel to any of the fire that’s going on,” the San Antonio native told the BBC. “I want this to be a safe space for people that are Spurs fans.”

There have been a few instances of violence in New York City against Spurs fans, including one assault that landed a fan in the hospital and another in which a fast food worker wearing a Spurs jersey was attacked, according to local reports.

Both Knicks and Spurs players have condemned the violence and harassment.

“We’re just playing a game out there. And I’m all for passion, but with respect for each other,” the Spurs’ Wembanyama said recently.

The Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns urged fans to “leave the physicality to everyone on the court”.

Finals fan harmony is possible though, according to those at the frenzied watch parties.

At Whiskey Tavern in Manhattan, manager Alex told the BBC the bar has been packed on game nights – with both teams’ fans.

“Everybody’s here just having a good time and celebrating either team. It is definitely heavily mixed,” she said, adding she hasn’t seen any clashes or tension – and she’s even seen Knicks fans reserve seats for Spurs fans.

Bartender Markie insists the sports bar where she works is a safe space for anyone to watch the game. But, with a laugh, she also acknowledges she hasn’t seen “a single Spurs fan” on game nights at the bar, which has a capacity of around 250-300 people.

Doris, a Brooklyn cocktail bar, also is striving for fan unity – sort of.

It began calling itself a “makeshift sports bar” when the series started, welcoming all fans “whatever that hometown may be” – but with a not-so-thinly-veiled favourite.

Its Instagram page features pictures of Texas’ Lone Star beer, a mention of a Spurs legend Manu Ginobili jersey on display since 2013, and “go Spurs go” in capital letters.

“Doris loves the Knicks, too! We just LOVE the SPURS more!” it says.

Before game three, Yellow Rose’s Rizo, who moved to New York a decade ago, walked around the city in a Spurs jersey, and kept hearing “you better be careful” or “you’re really bold for walking around like that”.

He didn’t think anything of it, but when he saw Spurs fans being harassed on social media and heard about violence, he felt sad.

Even though he is hoping for a Spurs win, as a New Yorker and a Texan, he’s excited no matter what.

“Either way, I win,” he told the BBC, laughing.