Using a balanced attack, the Spurs take down the defending champion Thunder in Game 7, earning a trip to the NBA Finals.
The Spurs are back in the Finals for the first time since 2014.
The Knicks are in their first Finals in 27 years. The opponent that year? The very same San Antonio Spurs.
Welcome to Finals week, basketball’s greatest stage.
Read on to get set for Wednesday’s Game 1 (8:30 ET, ABC), as two storied franchises look to write a new chapter in their history.
5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀
Finals Week: Get into Finals mode for Wednesday’s Game 1 with more must-know info
Playoffs’ Path: Looking back at the three thrilling rounds that delivered a Knicks-Spurs Finals
Additions & Luck: Shaun Powell’s full roster breakdown of how the Knicks built a Finals contender
Spurs Strengths: How Wemby willed San Antonio’s young core to the top of the sport
Trending Topics: NBA.com’s writers reveal who wins the title & 2026 Finals MVP
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Finals Court Art Unveiled: For the first time since 2009’s Lakers-Magic Finals, the Larry O’Brien Trophy logo will again cover midcourt. Here’s your first look.
Finals Tip In Two Days: The No. 2 seed Spurs host the No. 3 Knicks in Game 1 of the 2026 Finals, Wednesday, June 3rd (8:30 ET, ABC).
BAL Champions: In their first Basketball Africa League season, the RSSB Tigers of Rwanda defeated Petro de Luanda on Sunday for the Season 6 championship.
1. NEW CHAMP ON THE WAY: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT KNICKS-SPURS, QUICK
The matchup is set.
The contestants are new (again).
The Larry O’Brien Trophy logo is back on the courts.
Finals week is here, and over the next 2-3 weeks, the Knicks and Spurs are set to battle like it’s 1999. NBA Finals Hub
Read on to get set for this season’s ultimate showdown, between two teams peaking with their best basketball, tipping off Wednesday.
- Tuesday, June 2: The Knicks and Spurs convene for Finals Media Day. Follow along on NBA TV, NBA.com and the NBA App
- Wednesday, June 3: No. 2 San Antonio hosts Game 1 against No. 3 New York (8:30 ET, ABC)
- Friday, June 5: Game 2 gets underway (8:30 ET, ABC) before the series shifts to New York for Games 3 and 4
And when it’s all said and done, the NBA will have its eighth different champion in the last eight years, extending the longest streak in league history:
- Past Eight Champions: Thunder (2025), Celtics (2024), Nuggets (2023), Warriors (2022), Bucks (2021), Lakers (2020), Raptors (2019)
- Seven In Seven: The Spurs are the seventh different team to represent the West in the last seven years (Thunder, Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Suns, Lakers), a first for either Conference
- East Parity: In the Knicks, the East has its seventh different Conference Champion in the last nine seasons (Pacers, Celtics, Heat, Celtics, Bucks, Heat, Raptors, Cavaliers)
From 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama to 6-foot-2 Jalen Brunson, the Spurs and Knicks follow a pair of rare leading scorers into this Finals faceoff.
- Wemby’s (22y, 146d) 23.2 ppg through the Playoffs made him the youngest player to lead his team in scoring entering the Finals since 1957, and the first 22-year-old to do so since LeBron James (22y, 154d) in 2007
- Brunson (26.9 ppg) is just the fourth 2nd-round pick in the last 45 years to lead his team in scoring entering the Finals, following Nikola Jokić (DEN, 2023), Goran Dragić (MIA, 2020) and Jerome Kersey (POR, 1990)
- New Heights: Brunson is also the first team-leading scorer entering the Finals to stand 6-2 or shorter since 6-foot-2 Steph Curry in 2022. Before Curry? 6-foot-2 Tony Parker led the Spurs to their most recent title in 2014
- Family Ties: Brunson and his father, Knicks assistant Rick Brunson, are the first father-son duo to each play in the NBA Finals for the same franchise. Rick also faced the Spurs in 1999
Some may think the young Spurs lack Playoff experience, but their roster actually outranks the Knicks’ in Finals appearances.
- Spurs’ Sages: Harrison Barnes (13 games, GSW), Kelly Olynyk (5 games, MIA), and Luke Kornet (6 games, BOS) combine for 24 games of Finals experience for San Antonio
- Knicks’ Experts: Mikal Bridges (6 games, PHX) and Jordan Clarkson (2 games, CLE) have wisdom from eight combined Finals games. OG Anunoby has a ring from the 2019 Raptors, but missed the Finals (appendectomy)
- Youth Movement: San Antonio (25.06 years old) is the second-youngest team to reach the Finals in the shot clock era, based on average age, weighted by postseason playing time
2. HOW WE GOT HERE, FINALS EDITION
Eighty-two regular-season games.
Eighteen Playoff battles (14 if you’re the Knicks).
Four wins from a championship.
Look back at this year’s thrilling Playoff path that’s produced record ratings, a record-tying five Game 7s and a 1999 Finals rematch.
- So-Fi Play-In: After Philly and Portland clinched the 7-seeds, Jalen Green’s 71 combined points over two games launched the Suns to the West’s final spot, while Orlando held high-powered Charlotte to 90 points to lock up 8th in the East
- Game 7s Weekend: Philly and Detroit became the 14th and 15th teams in NBA history to come back from 3-1 deficits, and Jarrett Allen (22/19) lifted Cleveland in a First-Round finale featuring three game 7s
- Semis Stage: Sweeps advanced the Knicks and Thunder, with OKC becoming the 11th team to start a postseason 8-0. The Spurs overcame the Wolves with a +30-point Game 6, while the Cavs cleared the No. 1 Pistons in a fourth Game 7
The Knicks rolled into the Conference Finals as winners of seven straight with an all-time Playoff high +26.4-point win margin, while the Thunder and Spurs brought one of the game’s most exciting rivalries to the final battle for the West.
- New York’s 22-point comeback across the 4th and OT in Game 1 propelled the team to a second straight series sweep, becoming just the fifth team ever to reach an 11-game Playoff win streak
- Classic West Finals: From monster Wemby games to MVP SGA’s heroics and OKC’s next-man-up bench points advantage (332-200), this season’s two winningest teams went back-and-forth to a record-tying fifth Game 7
- All The Way: San Antonio beat the odds to claim just the 43rd road win in a Game 7, in the 160th Game 7 in league history. Wemby’s 22 points led seven Spurs in double figures to eliminate Shai (35 pts, 9 ast) and the defending champs
- “This is the best basketball on the planet that’s being played right now,” Wemby said … “Maybe I’m crazy for that, but I want to do that 15, 20 more times. Let’s hope it doesn’t become an addiction. Maybe it is already.”
Now the stage is set for a Knicks vs. Spurs Finals, just like in 1999, with the basketball world counting down the days until Wednesday’s Game 1.
- Game Changers: Landry Shamet’s bounce. RJ Barrett’s bounce. LeBron and L.A.’s stunning final-seconds swing in Houston. Relive the Playoffs’ biggest momentum-shifting plays so far with NBA.com’s John Schuhmann
- Saving Space: While the Knicks prepare during their eight-day wait, Josh Hart ranked his favorite career hardware – from the NCAA Tournament to the Emirates NBA Cup – with Jesser and Kris London
- “We got that [MVP trophy] together … for all of us [Spurs], and for all the fans right here,” Wemby said before sharing the Earvin “Magic” Johnson West Finals MVP trophy with some lucky traveling San Antonio fans
- Dressed For The Moment: Feast your eyes on these standout off-court looks from the Conference Finals
- Alien Embrace: Wemby was handing out humongous hugs after clinching the West Finals, which may or may not come with free wisdom from the universe
3. HOW THE KNICKS BUILT A 2025-26 FINALS CONTENDER
An ex-agent, who once repped LeBron James, in the position of general manager.
Free agency, trades ‘and a bit of good fortune.’
NBA.com’s Shaun Powell tells the story, player-by-player, of how the Knicks built their East Champion squad, from assembling the ” ‘Nova Knicks,” to tapping Mike Brown to push all the right buttons:
“The Knicks stand four wins away from sipping champagne for the first time under the Dolan family ownership.
“Since taking the job in 2020, Leon Rose has made a few gambles and made some moves that were under the radar at the time, and also got lucky – as successful GMs tend to do – because his biggest acquisition happened to be the son of a Knicks assistant coach…
“In fact, none of the top players in the Knicks’ rotation were first-round picks by the Knicks, and only Mitchell Robinson (second round, 2018) was drafted by New York.
“Here’s how the 2026 Eastern Conference champions were built …” | Read More
4. WEMBY GUIDES YOUNG SPURS TO NBA FINALS
A versatile 7-foot-4 superstar and a deep roster full of youth and confidence pushed the Spurs ahead to basketball’s biggest stage.
NBA.com’s Jeff Zillgitt examines how these two pillars helped make San Antonio the seventh different Western Conference champion in the last seven years:
Wembanyama Propels Spurs to NBA Finals
“He earned the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy as the MVP of the Western Conference Finals. For the series, he averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.7 blocks and 1.4 steals and shot 48.1% from the field, 40% on 3-pointers and 89.5% on free throws.
For a player who thrives offensively in the paint, it was his 3-point shot that helped the Spurs return from a 3-2 deficit and win the series. He was 4-for-9 on 3s in Game 6 and 3-for-5 in Game 7 …”
San Antonio’s Youth Plus Some Experience Wins the Day
It was a collective effort for the Spurs with seven players reaching double figures in points …
- Julian Champagnie, 22, made six 3-pointers, scored 20 points and collected six rebounds
- Devin Vassell, 25, had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals
- Stephon Castle, 21, contributed 16 points, six rebounds and six assists
- Dylan Harper, 20, finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists (and embraced the final winning moments with Castle)
- De’Aaron Fox, 28, scored 15 points, delivered five assists and stole the ball three times. He was one Spurs player who had Game 7 experience and helped keep a young group steady
- Keldon Johnson, 26, had 11 points and scored eight points, including consecutive 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter to stiff-arm the Thunder
But the play the Spurs wanted to talk about most was Luke Kornet’s block on Isaiah Hartenstein’s dunk attempt with 6:31 left in the fourth quarter…
‘… He was hauling, man,’ Champagnie said. ‘But that was a huge play. That’s a momentum play…
‘They get that dunk, the crowd gets into it, guys start to feel good and you never know what happens. That was the biggest play of the game honestly. It took all the life out of the building.’” | Read More
5. TRENDING TOPICS: WHO WINS NBA FINALS MVP?
Captain Clutch vs. The Alien.
The battle-tested Spurs vs. the scorching Knicks, and the parallels to 1999.
NBA.com’s writers predict who could win the Knicks-Spurs NBA Finals matchup and Finals MVP:
“One of the challenges in assessing the Knicks’ chances of winning the franchise’s first championship in 53 years is how scarce they’ve made themselves lately. Winning 11 playoff games in a row got them off the stage awfully fast …
Jalen Brunson is irrepressible against all defenders and Karl-Anthony Towns will test Victor Wembanyama’s mobility and versatility beyond any big Wemby has faced this spring …” – Steve Aschburner
“In 1999, a 22-year-old Tim Duncan won Finals MVP by beating the Knicks for San Antonio’s first of five titles. In 2026, a 22-year-old Wembanyama tries to repeat history …” – Brian Martin
“There’s no question about who’s bringing the heat; that would be the Knicks, winners of 11 straight playoff games… On a win-quality basis, the Spurs had the tougher route, having to plow through defending champion OKC in seven games.
This series should be entertaining and the Knicks certainly feel more urgency — to win a championship for the first time in over five decades …” – Shaun Powell
“The Knicks have been ridiculously good through the first three rounds, but there are some elements of their success – their own shooting and their opponents’ 3-point shooting – that are unsustainable …
“The Knicks have also led the playoffs with 53.3 points in the paint per game, and that number will be greatly reduced against the San Antonio defense …” – John Schuhmann
“The Knicks have not faced anything like the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs have established that their talent and confidence outweigh any playoff inexperience they have …” – Jeff Zillgitt | Read More
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