From time to time, NBA.com’s writers will share their takes on the biggest storylines and trends around the league.
Who will win the NBA Finals and who is your pick for NBA Finals MVP?
Steve Aschburner
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, yielding the spotlight to the West combatants. Compared to New York’s quick, efficient dispatching of the Sixers and Cavaliers especially, San Antonio hammered out its victory over OKC across seven games, ample exposure of the Spurs’ many strengths and potential weaknesses. Those additional outings gave the young West champions extra time to gel as the title contender they’ve become. But I’m going with the saltier, more veteran-laden team – 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. Youth must be served, the saying goes – but not yet.
Knicks in 6, with Brunson as Finals MVP
Brian Martin
The Knicks paid their dues, suffering playoff defeats the past three seasons before breaking through in historic fashion in 2026, entering the Finals with 11 straight wins and the largest point differential (+271) in playoff history.
Conversely, the Spurs are ahead of schedule, vaulting from 13th in the West a year ago to their first Finals of the Victor Wembanyama era. The Spurs may be the second-youngest team to ever reach the Finals, but their lack of playoff scars didn’t stop them from knocking off the defending champs in Game 7 in OKC. The inexperienced Spurs showed they were ready for the moment. Can they do it again?
With Wembanyama anchoring the defense, San Antonio’s perimeter defenders will look to slow down Jalen Brunson similarly to how they did reigning two-time Kia MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 25.9 points on 40.9% shooting. The Spurs must also limit live-ball turnovers, which fueled New York’s East onslaughts.
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.
Spurs in 7, Wembanyama wins Finals MVP
Shaun Powell
There’s a theory about the championship round — does the hot team win, or the best team? There’s no question about who’s bringing the heat; that would be the Knicks, winners of 11 straight playoff games. They dropped a pair by just a point each. Does that also mean they’re the best team? Well, 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, and get it in this short window before the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama get really good and create a dynasty. Therefore, the more desperate team wins.
Knicks in 6, with Brunson capturing Finals MVP
John Schuhmann
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. They have the highest effective field goal percentage (59.2%) in NBA playoff history, with OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges all having seen big jumps from the regular season, while their opponents have shot just 32% on wide-open 3-pointers. Those numbers only need to sustain for 4-7 more games, but that will be tougher against this particular opponent than it was against the previous three. 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.
Spurs in 5, with Wembanyama as Finals MVP
Jeff Zillgitt
The Knicks are on fire and rolling, and it’s duly noted how well they have played since trailing the Atlanta Hawks 2-1 in the first round – 11 in a row in dominant fashion. However, the series’ wins were against the No. 6 seed, the No. 7 seed and the No. 4 seed, a 4 seed that lost the final three games of the series by an average of 22 points and squandered a 22-point fourth-quarter lead in Game 1. 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. In the playoffs, they managed injuries, Wembanyama’s concussion and a 3-2 deficit to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to reach the NBA Finals. They play disruptive, physical defense and their ball movement generates the kind of offense that scored 118 points and 111 points in the final two games against the Thunder’s league-leading defense with their season on the line.
Spurs in 6, with Wembanyama as Finals MVP
