Starting 5: 2026 NBA Finals tip off tonight

The wait is over.

After eight months, 1,230 regular-season games and three Playoff rounds, only two teams remain:

The Spurs & the Knicks.

Two cities. One trophy. Four wins from basketball immortality.

Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals tips off tonight in San Antonio (8:30 ET, ABC | Tap to Watch).

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION 🏀

Game 1 In 2 Minutes: Everything you need to know before the 2026 Finals get underway

What They’re Saying – Knicks: Gratitude, togetherness and a Finals focus

What They’re Saying – Spurs: Young, hungry and not done yet

Media Day All-Access: On the ground in San Antonio, from Wemby & Guillermo to BenDaDonnn

Forever Finals: The story behind Willis Reed’s iconic Game 7 entrance

BUT FIRST …

The NBA Playoffs are the most-watched in 28 years with an average of 5.3 million viewers per game across ABC, ESPN, NBC, Peacock and Prime Video.

The Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Thunder was the most-watched Conference Finals in 24 years, with 10.8 million viewers per game on NBC/Peacock.

San Antonio’s win over OKC in Game 7 averaged 15.9 million viewers, peaking with 17.7 million viewers.

1. GAME 1 OF THE 2026 NBA FINALS IN 2 MINUTES

Two storied franchises. Two rich histories. One chance to write another legendary chapter.

Tonight (8:30 ET, ABC), the NBA Finals return to San Antonio for the first time in 12 years. The opponent: a Knicks team making its first Finals appearance since 1999 – when they lost to the Spurs, marking San Antonio’s first of five NBA titles.

Twenty-seven years later, the franchises meet again with another title on the line.

• The Knicks are seeking their first championship since 1973 and third overall
• The Spurs are seeking their sixth title and first since 2014

Four wins from glory, the Knicks and Spurs arrive at the Finals with different histories, identities and superstars – but the same opportunity: delivering a championship their cities have spent years dreaming about.

• Spurs Spirit: Few cities embrace basketball quite like San Antonio, from the Victor Wembanyama-founded Jackals – dubbed “the first NBA ultras” – to the beloved Salesian Sisters, AKA “the Spurs nuns”
• Knicks Fever: New York has waited 27 years for this moment, and the city’s passion is everywhere – from lifelong fans like Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Timothée Chalamet bringing the energy courtside to Knicks-themed subway stations outside of MSG

Leading both cities’ championship dreams are two of the game’s brightest stars: Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama.

• Brunson (6-foot-2) is just the fourth player 6-foot-2 or shorter in the last 40 years to lead a Finals team in scoring
• Wembanyama (7-foot-4) is the tallest player ever to do so

Big-Stage Brilliance: While Brunson has already cemented himself as one of the greatest postseason performers in Knicks history, Wemby has needed only one Playoff run to begin making history of his own.

• Captain Clutch: Over the last three postseasons, only one player has more than 85 total clutch points: Brunson with 121
• NY Lore: Brunson’s 26 30-point Playoff games are the most in Knicks history, including five this season
• Alien Has Entered The Chat: In his first career postseason, Wemby, 22, is just the second player ever to average 23+ pts, 10+ reb and 3+ blk through 17 Playoff games in a single postseason
• The Other? Hakeem Olajuwon

Spurs Surge: Two seasons after losing 60 games, the Spurs won 62 this year – with Wemby ascending from phenom to franchise cornerstone, winning unanimous Kia DPOY and finishing 3rd in Kia MVP voting.

• Playoff Tested: After beating Portland and Minnesota, San Antonio ousted the defending champion Thunder in the West Finals, winning an electric Game 7 to cap an all-time series

Knicks Tear: After three straight Playoff exits, New York returned on a mission, ripping off 11 straight Playoff wins to get to the Finals. That included overcoming a 2-1 First-Round deficit against Atlanta, then sweeping Philly and Cleveland in the semis and East Finals, respectively.

• Playoff Heater: New York’s 11 straight wins are tied for the third-longest win streak in NBA Playoff history
• In that span, they’ve posted a whopping +23.8 average point differential

Now, two teams riding the highs of epic – yet different – Playoff paths collide on basketball’s biggest stage.

Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is here (8:30 ET, ABC).

The Buzz: With anticipation building ahead of tonight’s tip-off, dive into some last-minute Finals reads.

• Shaun Powell: What to expect from Spurs-Knicks. Full Finals preview
• Brian Martin: Five things the Spurs and Knicks have in common with past champions
• Jeff Zillgitt: How the new Spurs have drawn inspiration from San Antonio’s championship squads
• Steve Aschburner: How Mike Brown is threading the needle for New York
• John Schuhmann: Twenty-five numbers to know for the 2026 Finals

2. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: KNICKS READY FOR THE MOMENT

Every Playoff round brings a bigger stage, but the Finals stand alone.

That begins with NBA Finals Media Day, which took place Tuesday as reporters and correspondents from all over the world descended on San Antonio, focused on two teams and one series.

The Knicks are no strangers to the bright lights, but even for a franchise accustomed to attention, the Finals carry a different weight.

• “For my career, I’ve only been able to see that Finals logo on TV, so it means a lot to be the person to see that logo on their jersey,” said Karl-Anthony Towns at Media Day yesterday
• “The word ‘grateful’ is all I can say.”

Special Stage: This postseason marked Towns’ third straight Conference Finals appearance. He lost his previous two: with Minnesota in 2024 and New York in 2025.

The sense of gratitude was evident throughout Media Day. Satisfaction, however, was harder to find.

• “Our mentality is at the right place at the right time,” said Jalen Brunson. “We can’t be satisfied just because we’re here.”

Deep Roots: Mikal Bridges (2021 Suns) and Jordan Clarkson (2018 Cavs) are the only Knicks to have appeared in an NBA Finals game (OG Anunoby was part of Toronto’s 2019 title team, but did not play due to injury).

While Finals experience is limited throughout New York’s roster, familiarity isn’t. Many of the relationships powering this run have been years in the making, starting with the “‘Nova Knicks'” trio of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Bridges.

• “I hated Jalen,” said Josh Hart on his first impressions of his Villanova teammates. “I thought he was one of those annoying 5-star recruits … unfortunately, he was the opposite…
• “Mikal was the same way,” Hart joked. “I hated him too.”

In 2016, the trio helped deliver Villanova its first national championship in 31 years.

Ten years later, they’re looking to end another title drought, seeking the Knicks’ first championship in 53 years.

For Brunson, the key to ending that drought ties back to what got New York here in the first place: leaning on each other.

• “The biggest experience you get is actually going through things,” said Brunson. “We’re gonna go through this together.”

3. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: YOUNG SPURS NOT SATISFIED

For as long as he can remember, winning the Larry O’Brien Trophy has been a dream for Victor Wembanyama.

• “Falling in love with basketball happened really early on in my life,” said Wemby at Tuesday’s Finals Media Day. “And the Larry O’Brien – I don’t remember, it really goes too far back. Basketball’s been there for so long for me…
• “But I guess all kids love trophies and medals.”

Wembanyama is no longer a kid. But at just 22, he’s already collected plenty of hardware, with a resume long enough to rival his 8-foot wingspan.

• The No. 1 overall pick in 2023
• The unanimous Kia Rookie of the Year in 2023-24
• The unanimous Kia Defensive Player of the Year in 2025-26
• A Kia MVP Finalist and First Team All-NBA selection in 2025-26
• A back-to-back NBA All-Star

Now, Wemby is just the third player age 22 or younger since 2000 to lead a Finals team in scoring, joining LeBron James (2007) and Kobe Bryant (2001).

Since entering the league as a teenager, Wemby has become stronger, more skilled and more complete. His growth has helped the Spurs become just the fourth team in NBA history to reach the Finals within two years of losing 60+ games.

But he hasn’t grown alone.

• “His physical maturation has evolved … his shooting has improved,” said Spurs coach Mitch Johnson of Wemby yesterday. “But there’s a big element of his teammates …
• “His teammates have grown with him.”

The Spurs are the 2nd-youngest Finals team ever by weighted Playoff playing time (25.06 years old), but have shown poise beyond their years this postseason, including a Game 7 road win over the defending champion Thunder in the West Finals.

Stephon Castle believes that poise has been rooted in something simple: staying connected.

• “Our consistency and togetherness – it just screams great habits,” said Stephon Castle. “With our leader being Vic, with how good he is, with how young he is and for him not to have any ego…
• “It just fed great energy throughout our locker room.”

The energy has spread throughout a city that has embraced this young Spurs squad, from the formation of “the Jackals” last summer to the noise levels from San Antonio — both at home and on the road.

• “I’ve known for years the Spurs community had this strength in them,” Wemby said “it’s a great joy.”

Now, San Antonio is back home for its first Finals Game in 12 years. But the job’s not finished.

“We haven’t done the hardest [part] yet,” said Wemby. “The job isn’t done at all.”

4. ALL-ACCESS: ON THE GROUND IN SAN ANTONIO

Finals Media Day also brought some fun.

Mixed in with the swaths of media were Player Correspondent Caleb Wilson – a former standout at UNC and top 2026 NBA Draft prospect – and social media sensation BenDaDonnn.

The two hit the ground at Frost Bank Center, bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at the Finals atmosphere.

• But First: BenDaDonnn practiced what he would say to the Finals media as a player 😂
• Tar Heel Tease: Asked by Wilson for his favorite college memory, Mikal Bridges didn’t hesitate: winning a national championship … against UNC
• Rivals Reconnect: Wilson also caught up with former high school opponent Dylan Harper, as the two traded stories, questions, and a future promise
• Wemby Meets A Legend: A familiar Finals face, Guillermo, caught up with Wemby, offering him some unique championship luck
• Wemby’s Favorite Finals Memory? (Hint: it happened 10 years ago)
• Most “New York” Knick: Asked which teammate was the most “New York,” Bridges literally bumped into his answer

5. FOREVER FINALS: “HERE COMES WILLIS!”

It’s one of those moments that is etched in Finals lore:

Willis Reed emerging from the tunnel at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks’ captain had suffered a torn thigh muscle in Game 5 of the 1970 NBA Finals and missed Game 6 as the Lakers evened the series behind a dominant performance from Wilt Chamberlain.

Game 7 arrived with New York’s championship hopes hanging in the balance – and uncertainty surrounding whether Reed would be able to play.

Years later, Reed recalled the thought that ultimately drove his decision:

• “I didn’t want to have to look at myself in the mirror 20 years later and say I wished I had tried to play.”

After extensive treatment, Reed limped onto the floor for warm-ups.

“Here comes Willis!” Marv Albert announced on the radio broadcast. “And the crowd is going wild!”

MSG erupted. The Lakers stopped what they were doing and stared.

• “When I saw that,” teammate Walt Frazier later said, “something told me we might have these guys.”

Reed wasn’t close to full strength. He scored just four points – but they were New York’s first two baskets, and the impact of his presence was immeasurable.

The Garden had its captain back. The Knicks had their belief.

Behind an all-time performance from Walt Frazier (36 pts, 19 ast), New York rolled to victory, capturing the franchise’s first championship.

Reed’s entrance became one of the defining moments in Finals history. But he never viewed it as heroic. Instead, he remembered the people who urged him to give it a try:

“I didn’t realize that I was going to be doing something that was going to be heroic…

“I had two phone calls that were very significant in the afternoon … one was from my high school coach … and also from my college coach … and both of them said, ‘Willis, you got to play tonight. This is important, you got to play.’

“And then all the players on the team said the same thing. They said, ‘Captain, if you give us some minutes tonight, we’re gonna win.’

“It was all that team effort. We had worked so hard to get there … and that’s the reason I really wanted to be out there with the team …

“… There was one thing that I was fearful of: that I would let a great moment in my life pass because I was not willing to try.”