The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will fight for a Larry O’Brien Trophy hoist at the 2026 NBA Finals.
The Spurs of the moment will take on the Knicks of time at the 2026 NBA Finals.
The kids are all right and the New York groove couldn’t be more in tune. Following a seven-game silencing of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs will do battle with the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals.
The Association will crown its eighth different champion in eight seasons, extending a league record in parity. The next raisers of the Larry O’Brien Trophy will be either the homegrown hands of San Antonio (featuring the drafted talents of Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper) or the hired efforts of the Knicks, who are back in the Finals thanks to the acquired tastes of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and more.
The full schedule can be viewed below …
- Game 1 (@ San Antonio): Wednesday, June 3, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 2 (@ San Antonio): Friday, June 5, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 3 (@ New York): Monday, June 8, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- Game 4 (@ New York): Wednesday, June 10, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- *Game 5 (@ San Antonio): Saturday, June 13, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- *Game 6 (@ New York): Tuesday, June 16, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
- *Game 7 (@ San Antonio): Friday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
(*—if necessary)
While this best-of-seven set will no doubt produce its share of storylines as it plays out, BIL has four initial thoughts to keep an eye on as the series gets underway …
PLAYOFF BRACKET
@spurs win Game 7, advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014
Game 1 of 2026 NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs tips on Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30pm/et on ABC! pic.twitter.com/0tKSp7s7i0
— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2026
27 Years Later …
Long-delayed summer sequels apparently aren’t limited to just the cineplex anymore.
The Knicks and Spurs previously did championship battle at the end of the lockout-shortened 1999 season, which yielded a five-game win for the latter. It was the first of five titles over a 15-year stretch. Like the NFL’s New England Patriots before them, the Spurs are forcing their millennial haters to relive some painful memories, as they feel well-stocked for another dynastic run with Wembanyama in tow.
Obviously no one’s reprising their on-floor role from the 1999 edition (though then-Knicks reserve Rick Brunson now serves as an assistant coach). But there are several uncanny parallels from the millennium-closing clash.
Wembanyama’s presence alone speaks for itself, as his dual talents as a touted top draft pick and a dominant interior threat invoke memories of the Tim Duncan/David Robinson tandem in one man. With the way the Knicks are playing, they could be setting the tone for their own dynastic endeavors.
It also feels like depth stars are poised to make a significant impact in this series, similar to the way the 1999 set was defined by the breakout of career-long journeyman Avery Johnson. San Antonio has made Johnson proud with Dylan Harper and Luke Kornet engaging in clutch antics off the bench while the Knicks, having eschewed the heavy workloads that defined Tom Thibodeau‘s tenure, have seen little lost in offensive production thanks to the deep-ball antics of Jose Alvarado, Miles McBride, and Landry Shamet.
Because It’s the Cup
The NBA Cup in-season tournament has faced a lot of flack for its perceived lack of value, seemingly serving as a desperate ploy to add value to early-season slugfests. But tournament mastermind and NBA commissioner Adam Silver may yet have the last laugh thanks to this June yield.
In addition to serving as a rematch of the ’99 Finals, the Knicks-Spurs series also continues the mini-brouhaha the teams started in Sin City. ‘Twas nine days before Christmas, and all through The House, the Spurs were stirring but by the Knicks they were doused: a combined 53 from Brunson and OG Anunoby gave New York a 124-113 comeback victory and its first brand of officially recognized Association hardware since a 2012-13 division title. San Antonio now gets a chance at revenge, as they and the Knicks are the first Cup closer participants to reprise their roles in the ensuing Finals fracas.
The world is still wondering what to make of the Cup and the fact that the Knicks declined to raise a banner to MSG’s rafters certainly hints at the way teams view such “championships.” But if the even can start billing itself as a potential Finals trailer—essentially a Christmas in July situation for hardwood heavies—that will certainly go at least some way into raising its value.
Towns and Country
Beyond the obvious allure of the popular Knicks returning to the Finals, the undeniable headliner of this series is Wembanyama.
In space, no one can hear you scream but the paint is another story: the so-called “Alien” has already lived up to, and perhaps exceeded, every one of his cosmic expectations and many assume that this will be the first of several Finals appearances. In a city of skyscrapers, Wembanyama’s presence may be the most intimidating of all … even the Empire State Building and its shadow don’t follow you around once you’re outside city limits.
While it was far from the ideal intention, the Knicks seem to be one of the few teams that adequately prepped for the French Revolution: there’s no museum ticket necessary to see this metropolitan paint work as New York serves as the home of Towns and Mitchell Robinson.
While Robinson could be viewed as an archaic talent as one of the few traditional centers left on the NBA ledgers (one primarily pinned under the rim and limiting his shots to no more than five feet away), there’s no denying the Knicks have been a better team when the tenured big man has been on the floor: since he return from a painful 2024 playoff encounter with Joel Embiid in late February 2025, the Knicks have posted an 88-50 record between the regular season and playoffs … only the new champion Thunder has won more games in that span.
Robinson has unintentionally made the wrong kind of headlines in absentia thanks to a pinkie injury that has raised questions about his championship availability. With the way the Knicks have been shooting in this postseason, there’s certainly enough firepower to overcome Wembanyama wackiness. But if Robinson’s out, a valuable weapon of resistance leaves with him.
Sweeps vs. Sevens
Call it hazard pay for over five decades of hardwood futility partly defined by the most bizarre brands of hardwood follies but everything seems to be working in the Knicks’ favor.
In a display that would make ’99 foe Gregg Popovich proud, New York has engaged in the most essential fundamental of all: winning. The Knicks have won games (11 in a row, to be precise) and won them handily, affording them a rare late spring holiday interrupted only by further championship prep. By the time the Knicks take the floor again for Game 1 on Wednesday night, it will have been nine days since they clobbered Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals clinch.
Results from abroad have also tilted toward metropolitan favor: each of the Knicks’ last three opponents have come off full seven-game sets and that includes the Spurs after they quelled the defending champions. The Spurs at least have the benefit of holding homecourt advantage, which allows them to temporarily delay their encounter with an already-insatiable MSG crowd that has waited over two decades for the return of championship basketball.
This Finals series will thus be the ultimate test of rest vs. rust. On a further note, if the Knicks manage to keep their dominance rolling, one has to wonder where this playoff run ranks among the greatest postseason accumulations in NBA history.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
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