A parade fit for New York's champions drew massive crowds of fans to Lower Manhattan on Thursday as the city celebrated the New York Knicks' first NBA title in more than five decades.

Lining the one-mile route to City Hall were thousands of NYPD officers tasked with securing one of the largest crowds the city has seen in recent years.

"I loved everything. The crowd was crazy, but this experience was incredible because we're true Knicks fans," parade-goer Gail Torres said.

The NYPD described the event as a major undertaking, with large crowds gathering along the parade route and surrounding streets throughout the day.

"Security was great, but it was overwhelming," parade-goer Tanise Thompson said. "There were a lot of people trying to get to one point, one access point."

City officials banned parking below Canal Street, and spectators were required to enter through designated access points to reach the parade route.

The department deployed about 10,000 officers, which it said was a record staffing level for a single event.

Ahead of the parade, officials expressed concerns about possible disorder similar to some of the celebrations that followed Knicks playoff victories. But police said there were no major incidents despite at least 13 people being taken into custody.

"Let's not focus on the bad," parade-goer Ericka Martin said. "Overall, the parade was peaceful, and we had a good time even though we didn't get to see the floats."

Images from the celebration showed some spectators climbing scaffolding and breaching barriers to get a better view of the festivities.

Still, many fans said the day was defined by a sense of unity.

"For the last month, it's been so unified — every culture, every religion, every sex," Martin said. "I want people to know it's a good time."

The FDNY told NY1 that 30 people were transported to hospitals in varying conditions, including some with heat-related illnesses. Another 31 people were treated at the scene and declined further medical attention.