When the New York Knicks won the NBA Cup in December, ownership made it clear that they wouldn’t hang a banner from the rafters at Madison Square Garden. Instead, they wanted to wait until their team played for the Larry O’Brien Trophy in the NBA finals.
Five months later, that time has arrived. Ironically, they will have to face the same team they defeated to win the in-season tournament, the San Antonio Spurs. Led by superstar big man Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio made a 3-2 series comeback to knock off the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night.
The stakes for this year’s NBA Finals couldn’t be much higher for either team. The Knicks are looking to capture their first championship since 1973 and bring a title back to the Big Apple since the Liberty in 2024. Not to mention, this series gives the Knicks a chance to redeem their franchise after losing to the Spurs in five games in the 1999 NBA Finals.
Team legends Patrick Ewing and John Starks were unable to beat future Hall of Fame big men Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Now, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have the chance to take down a modern-day giant in Wembanyama.
It will come in a different setting, as the Spurs hold home-court advantage over the Knicks. This is a first for New York, which has had the privilege of starting every series this season at “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” Yet, playing on the road hasn’t made much of a difference for them, considering they only lost one road game during this playoff run.
Their offense has been key to their success, notching 11 consecutive wins dominantly while outscoring opponents by significant margins. In the Eastern Conference finals, they dominated the Cavaliers in a 27-point game four victory.
For Brunson, who received the Bob Cousy Eastern Conference finals MVP for leading his team to the finals, this is a career-defining series. He has been unstoppable this entire postseason, tallying more than 25 points on 10 separate occasions. His crowning performance came in game one of the conference finals, when he led an impressive fourth-quarter comeback, scoring 38 points.
Towns has had a career-altering postseason of his own, taking on a new role as the Knicks’ offensive facilitator. This strategy worked in the first two rounds, but it ran into trouble against the Cavaliers. He’s shown that he can score in double figures on any given night, but the real challenge will come on the defense against Wembanyama.
OG Anunoby was brilliant in the conference finals after returning from a hamstring strain. The veteran wing had 21 points in game three against the Cavaliers, while posting 17 in a series-clinching game four win with seven rebounds and four assists.
Mikal Bridges, on the other hand, overcame a rough start to provide his team with much-needed scoring and defensive support. He tallied 22 in game three against the Cavaliers, while adding 15 in game four.
Josh Hart has maintained a significant presence throughout the playoffs, including 26 points in Game 2 of the East Finals. His rebounding and playmaking have been notable, snagging more than six rebounds in three out of the four games against the Cavaliers.
Off the bench, guards Miles McBride and Landry Shamet have provided New York with productive three-point shooting. McBride scored 25 and nailed seven threes in game four of the semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Shamet was as effective, shooting 91.7% from three against the Cavaliers.
Yet the Knicks are facing uncertainty about backup center Mitchell Robinson, who underwent surgery to repair a broken pinky finger. He intends to play in the NBA Finals, but this could pose a challenge for New York in defending Wembanyama.
After cruising through the first two rounds, Wembanyama’s Spurs collided with the Thunder. But even the team that swept through the first two rounds couldn’t stop the 7-foot-4 22-year-old from scoring more than 20 points in all seven games, including 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double overtime game one victory. In game seven, his 22 points and seven rebounds outmatched reigning two-time league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Outside of their superstar big man, the Spurs have received immense support from All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox and newcomers Stephon Castle and Derrick Harper.
Fox, who dealt with a hamstring injury in the conference finals, went for 15 points in game seven against the Thunder. Castle, the 2024-25 Rookie of the Year, scored in double figures in all of the Spurs’ playoff matchups. His 17 and 16 points in games six and seven against Oklahoma City helped get his team over the hump, as Harper scored 18 and 12 in a more limited role off the bench.
And to the surprise of some local fans, former St. John’s standout Julian Champagine contributed 20 with six triples in that must-win game seven.
In the regular season, the Spurs and Knicks met on two occasions outside of the NBA Cup matchup, with San Antonio narrowly taking the first meeting on New Year’s Eve. The Knicks returned the favor on March 1 by demolishing San Antonio by 35 points.
However, the conference finals showed two very different versions of these franchises. Game one of the championship series between the Knicks and Spurs starts on Wednesday at 8:30 pm from the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
For more on the Knicks, visit AMNY.com
