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The long NBA season is heading to its final stage. Will the New York Knicks be dancing down Broadway or will the San Antonio Spurs be dancing down the River Walk? We will find out after the next seven games.
The last time these teams met in the NBA Finals was in 1999, and everything was different. We had not withstood the wrath of Y2K, wrestling was still in the attitude era and I could still see it. The only thing which has not changed is that the Spurs are still using a talented big man to be their best player in French star Victor Wembanyama.
With David Robinson and Tim Duncan, the Spurs started a dynasty which lasted until after Robinson was gone and Duncan had a new surrounding cast. With a win in 2026, San Antonio is hoping that Wembanyama can help the Spurs start another dynasty.
For the Knicks, there is more at stake. Not only has New York not won a championship since the 1973 Walt Frazier series, but there have also been many moments since then when the Knicks and their fans have been disappointed. But this might be the year when things change. Not only have the Knicks rumbled through the playoffs like me through a buffet line, but they have also spent much of their time resting while the Spurs finished a physical seven-game series with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The defending champs and the best team for much of the 2025-26 season.
What to look for from the Knicks
The Knicks will need to use their experience to overwhelm a younger Spurs team. Jalen Brunson, who led the team in scoring this season with 26 points a game, will look to get his first NBA Title to go along with his NCAA titles from 2016 and 2018 with Villanova.
Alongside him, Brunson will have Villanova teammates in Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart. All these players bring seven years or more experience in the NBA, while 7-footer Karl-Anthony Towns brings 10 years of experience.
Towns will also attempt to limit Wembanyama down low and challenge every shot “The Alien" will take. If Towns can disrupt what Wemby wants to do, the Spurs' youth will struggle to adapt. This would give the New York Knicks the best chance they have to win the series. Something I am conflicted about.
As a Philadelphia sports fan, I was raised to hate New York teams. He has worked with the Yankees and Rangers. Until now, it also worked on the Knicks. But, with my basketball fandom for Villanova being what it is, I must root for the New York team here. Don’t I? Not to mention I just found out doing this article that, although a lot younger, Brunson also has the same birthday as me.
More: NBA's best player year-by-year: Wemby's historic age, a new GOAT contender and 80 seasons of debate
What to look for from the Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs have a single task in this series. Win the game down low. While Wembanyama can shoot the three-point shot, the Spurs do not want to get into a shootout with the Knicks.
Wembanyama, Kelly Olynyk and Mason Plumlee will have a significant size advantage over the Knicks. If standout second-year guards Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox can spread the ball before dumping it down inside late in the shot clock, the Spurs will win the series.
This will be a series of opposites. The Knicks will want to run and gun while the Spurs will want to play like they are a 1950s Princeton team. Whichever team can better control the pace will win the series.
There are different variations of how this series could end up. A close series like San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City, a blow out by the Knicks during their entire playoff run, or a blow out by the Spurs. The only one of these I don’t see as a possibility is a Spurs blowout. I expect a good series from both teams and take it to six or seven games for the title.
More NBA news:
- Why NBA's choice of Scott Foster and Tony Brothers for Finals is already dividing fans
- This dog’s Spurs Finals pick has Knicks fans more fired up than ever
- Victor Wembanyama's toughest NBA Finals opponent may not be the Knicks
- Where is Jalen Brunson from? Hometown, college, more to know about Knicks star's roots
- 10 of 13 ESPN analysts agree on one thing about the NBA Finals — and Knicks fans won't like it
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