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NBA Mailbag

NBA Mailbag: What will be the deciding factor in the Finals?

20-year NBA veteran Jamal Crawford answers your Finals questions on Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Brunson, and key storylines to watch.

Jamal Crawford

Jamal Crawford

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Chasing History: The Road to Knicks vs. Spurs

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Eastern and Western Conference Finals, narrated by Jamal Crawford.

The NBA Mailbag is open with NBA legend and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford here to answer your questions during the 2026 NBA Finals after he called the Western Conference Finals and the 2025-26 season with NBC.

Have a question for Jamal? Submit it here. 

What’s going to be the deciding factor in the NBA Finals? – from Honza in Prague, Czech Republic

It all comes down to will at this point. Both teams are riding high. Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Neither team has been here in a while. Obviously, it’s been longer for New York, and I think the Knicks’ fan base is going to give them so much energy after not being here since 1999. For the Spurs, Wemby is leading the charge, and he’s so determined. He’s fully in the moment and won’t take this chance for granted and say, “Oh, I’m young. I got there, and that was enough.” So, it’s going to be explosive and I can’t wait to watch.

If you were the Knicks, how would you prepare for the Spurs and Wemby specifically? – from Ryzen in Fort Collins, CO 

I would try to bring him away from the basket as much as possible, like most teams try to do. One thing they have in their favor is Karl-Anthony Towns. The way he can shoot it and spread the court could force Wemby out of the paint. He can’t be in both places, right? He can’t be at the basket and take away KAT’s 3s. So that’s definitely an advantage for the Knicks. 

If you were the Spurs, how would you make Wemby’s life easier offensively? – from Jobim in San Antonio, TX

Obviously, getting him close to the basket. One way they do that is when Wemby is in the corner, they’ll have a guard set a pin-down screen for him to get to the middle of the court, or the free-throw line area, or sometimes it frees him to go directly to the basket. The screen helps him get in a more comfortable position and move with force because he knows that screen is coming. 

Another way is when he handles the ball, the Spurs use guards to run pick-and-rolls at the top. Because he’s so tall, he can see over the defense for his passing angles. It slows the game down for him and almost allows him to make the right decision, by either passing or attacking the basket downhill.

How will the Spurs handle Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns? – from Grayson in Prosper, TX

For Brunson, you need discipline. It takes a group. It won’t be one guy at all. Part of the game plan for the Spurs will be forcing him to use energy on the defensive end (like in those off-ball, pin-down actions with Wemby), which then could take away some of his energy on offense. But even then, it’s always difficult to handle Brunson.

For KAT, I could see him being a hub on offense, almost a point-center, where they run offense through him. He usually makes the right decision and he’s always a threat to shoot. So I can see him getting a lot of touches in this series.

Which team has more depth? – from Richy in Florida

I think the Spurs do, and it can be hidden sometimes. Their depth is different because they have so many playmakers and can stagger their minutes, which allows other guys off the bench, like Carter Bryant or Luke Kornet, to play with the primary ball handlers and be more effective when Wemby and the other main guys are resting. So I think the Spurs do because they have more playmakers. 

Who do you think will win and how many games? – from Samar in Los Alcázares, Spain

I can easily see this going 6 or 7 in either direction. Right now, all I can predict is that we fans are going to win. We’re winning regardless … in 6 to 7 games.

If the Spurs win, are we officially in the Wemby era? – from Elliot in Winthrop, MA

I would say so. We’re here a lot faster than we expected, but we’re here. And we may already be in the Wemby era, given what he’s doing in these playoffs and how he’s adjusted on the fly, playing different styles over the course of the game. I think it’s safe to say we’re already here.

Do you think Jalen Brunson will change how young small players play the game if the Knicks win the Finals and Jalen wins FMVP? – from Frank in Pennsylvania 

There’s always an evolution and a copycat type thing. But with him being a smaller guy, I definitely feel like a lot of guards in this next generation will try to mimic what he’s doing. And it’s all based on the foundation of his mind, grit, toughness, and overall skillset. All those things have nothing to do with pure athleticism. It’s more so everything else – the intangibles, which are a great thing for young guards to learn.

If you could steal one player from either Finals team and add him to the other side, who would it be and why? – from Sam in Great Neck, NY

Sticking to bench players, I’ll say Landry Shamet would be great with the Spurs. He shoots it so well, and I could easily see him being a great piece for them. On the other side, I think Carter Bryant would be good with New York. Just another defender and athletic young wing who would fit with them off the bench.

How will the pressure of the Finals amplify the magic of MSG? – from James in Kingston, NY

When I was with the Knicks, I played in March games when we were going nowhere, and there still was magic in MSG. So the magic’s always there. The Finals will put an even bigger spotlight on it, and it will be amplified somewhat. But they’re on such a high and have waited decades for this. The magic is already at 100. 

Why is Dylan Harper so tough? – from Josh in San Antonio, TX

He’s a big guard, but he plays even bigger when he gets in the paint and leans into it. He bumps you. He attacks you with his body. Then he’s such a great finisher, and he knows how to play in close quarters. He could find his way out of a phone booth because of his footwork and strength. He knows exactly how to get to the spot to finish it. It’s almost like Brunson, in a way, when he gets inside the paint. He’s seeking your body to make contact before he goes up.

Who gave you more ‘this isn’t normal’ moments in workouts: Wemby or young KD? – from Carey on X

They both did, it’s just different. With KD, you saw his skillset, and it was like he was playing perfection basketball. Every rep was like a Game 6 or Game 7 rep. So you watched somebody so skilled at that size nearing basketball perfection. It’s still incredible. 

Wemby is more like, “I’ve never seen that before.” He had a lot of those moments. For example, you know assistant coaches have that stick you have to shoot over, and it’s tough to shoot over? Wemby was dunking over it. Like, what? So things like that.

What’s the most used dribble move in the NBA? – from Samson in Waimea, HI

I would say the hesitation dribble, because no matter what move you do to set it up, it usually ends with a hesitation. And that’s what gets the change of direction and change of pace, all at once. So I would say the hesitation, for sure.

What’s your favorite part of the offseason? – from Lacie in Fort Worth, TX

Being with family and being able to really lock in with my kids in the gym. I’m so excited about that, and just family time overall. I just got back from my longest stretch away since I was in the bubble. So when I came home, I fell to my knees like I came back from another country. I’m so excited to be home. 

What is harder: scoring 30 points or getting 12 assists, and why? – from Pedro in California

Well, it depends on who it is. For me, getting 12 assists was tough because it’s a partnership, right? Especially in the NBA at that time, you were hired to do a job. So it was a very specific role. But when I did get 12 assists, it was an intoxicating feeling because it’s like I dominated the game without scoring. And that was late in my career with Phoenix when I had 14 assists at MSG.

What’s been the biggest transition from playing hoops to talking hoops? – from Griffin in Lenexa, KS

When I’m playing hoops, I do things at times and people wonder how. When I’m talking hoops, I can explain why it happened for other players. That’s what’s really cool about announcing. Now you’re getting a window into what I was thinking when I was playing, you just didn’t know it then. Like, “Wow, that looked crazy.” But there was still a plan with it, at times. JJ Redick said it best, “You talk like how you play.”

How has your coaching style evolved with the constant evolution of how basketball is being played at the highest level? – from Owen in Victoria, Canada

It’s hard to say because I have the cheat code of seeing these guys work out before I call games. So I see what they’re working on, and that’s what I take back to my kids, which is really cool. I’m able to implement how the game is evolving and what NBA players are working on into training sessions and really hammer it home.

But that’s a big part of the game that isn’t talked about enough. You need to see how it’s evolving, and then you evolve along with it.

Your son, JJ, is one of the best (if not the best) high school basketball players in the country. If you faced JJ 1v1 in your prime, who would win? – from Peter in Illinois

I’m winning now, OK, don’t go there yet. In my prime, I win. I win now, in my mind. But he’s better than I was at his age for sure. We had a thing when he was younger for him to be better than me at every age, because we knew we could never really play against each other. He’s won every year so far.

For a young, talented guard who dreams of reaching the NBA, which skills should be prioritized the most during their development? If you were starting over as a teenager today, what would you focus on improving every day? – from Nikolaos in Greece

First, you can never shoot too well. But as a younger player, especially if I were growing up today, I would really get lost in film on YouTube. There’s a lot of training and skill work going on, but I’m not sure the skill work will translate to the higher levels because so much of it is individualized skill work for you, and not for you in a team setting. So I would watch a lot of film.

And I would absolutely play more. Don’t just train. Play and realize, “Oh, OK. That guy’s not a cone. He’s going to actually bump me right here. How do I get through the bump? What do I do?” And then that insight helps your actual training after you play.

Playing more and watching film are two general things you can do to become a better player, instead of just always doing skill training.

Have A Question For Jamal? Submit It Now!

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