New Yorkers celebrate a thrilling possibility: The Knicks could soon be champions

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."