OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Even before the New York Knicks won the Eastern Conference title, some of their fans took to the streets of Manhattan with a message.
The chants: “We want Wemby! We want Wemby!”
The Knicks have done their part, getting to the NBA Finals. And now, they'll have to wait until at least Thursday to see which team comes out of the Western Conference — either Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, or the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Before Game 5 of the Spurs-Thunder series on Tuesday night, San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson was asked if he has heard about the chants from those Knicks fans.
He hasn't — but didn't seem surprised that they're happening.
“I know New York's on fire. They won so that city is obviously enjoying it and they've had a heck of a playoff run,” Johnson said. “But unfortunately, I've been pretty locked-into what we've got going right here in front of us.”
The Knicks have won 11 consecutive games, rallying from a 2-1 deficit to beat Atlanta in Round 1 and then sweeping Philadelphia and Cleveland in the next two rounds.
And in fairness, some Knicks fans were captured on videos that got posted to social media chanting “We want Wemby!” after Game 1 of the East finals against the Cavaliers.
“Tip your cap to New York, for sure,” Johnson said. "They're having a heck of a run."
If you somehow haven’t heard about how good this kid is, maybe this will catch you up to speed.
There is very little to dislike about the BYU product’s game: he’s strong, he’s physical, he has all of the measurables to do well at the NBA level, he can play multiple positions, he’s comfortable being a play initiator, he’s efficient, he LED THE NCAA IN SCORING AS A FRESHMAN WITH 25 POINTS A GAME, and the list could honestly go on forever. The argument could be made, and has been made by myself before, that this entire year for Dybantsa was just a cardio session as he prepared for the NBA. The one and only knock on his game is his defensive prowess, and while I think there is certainly room to improve, he carried so much of the BYU Cougar’s offense (especially after Richie Saunders went down with injury) that I think his effort could be excused to some extent, but more importantly he wasn’t a bad defender; by every metric he was slightly below league average.
If the Utah Jazz had the #1 pick in this year’s draft I believe that Dybantsa would be the clear target for us. That being said, by every indication, the #1 selection for the Washington Wizards has not been set in stone and there is an opportunity that we could get our guy at #2 after all. I like to think positively so let’s dive into the AJ Dybantsa the prospect, and how he could change this franchise for the better.
Team Fit
I’ve had Dybantsa as the #1 prospect in this draft for quite some time, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t think that Darryn Peterson would be the more natural fit for this team. After a stellar (albeit brief) run of play by Keyonte George where be displayed his playmaking ability with a career high 6.1 assists per game, it seems like Will Hardy believes in him to be the starting point guard of the future for this team. I think that he’s more than proven that he’s ready for the responsibility, and while I do think that Isaiah Collier is the more natural facilitator of the two, George’s offensive upside and Collier’s offensive downside are too evident to be ignored.
With George set to have a healthy season running point, a natural need makes its presence known in the form of a starting shooting guard. Respectfully to John Konchar, I don’t think that he’s exactly what we’re looking for. I’m also not a believer that you should draft for fit in the early stages of the draft, but when we’re talking about as talented of a draft class as the 2026 class is, nearly any of the top 4-5 prospects could be a winner. Early in the draft you must draft the best talent, and figure out the rest later.
There are a few scenarios that I can see play out if we do decide to draft Dybantsa.
Option 1: We have a starting lineup of Keyonte George, AJ Dybantsa, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (assuming we’re able to bring him back which I hope and pray to the basketball gods that we do).
Option 2: We start George, Ace Bailey, Dybantsa, Jackson Jr., and Kessler – we reward Bailey for his stellar play over the last 25 games of the season and trade Lauri Markkanen to the highest bidder (Detroit, perhaps) for even more draft capital.
Option 3: We start George, Bailey, Dybantsa, Markkanen, and Jackson Jr. at the 5 if we’re unable to retain Kessler. I personally think that this would be the worst option of the three given Jackson Jr.‘s struggles to rebound the ball, but with all of the size that we do have with the rest of the lineup I think it could work.
As mentioned before, Dybantsa can play multiple positions so with whatever lineup we choose he could play anywhere from the lead ballhandler, to the slashing wing, to the traditional power forward, and I even think with time we could play him as a small-ball center given his strength as a player.
Options are always a good thing, and luckily Dybantsa fits into any plan that we may have.
Comparisons
Comparison is the thief of joy, but what is a draft prospect without a NBA comparison? I’ve always done a low, medium, and high end comparison for any player that I talk about and this won’t be any different here. With as talented of a player as Dybantsa is, even his low won’t even be that low, so by all measures this is a win-win scenario.
Low End: RJ Barrett
The similarities are certainly there, especially when you compare Dybantsa’s one year at BYU to Barrett’s one year at Duke. They were both great scorers (over 20 points per game), they were both less than league average three point shooters, but they were able able to make up for that fact with their ability to get to the rim, and their midrange games. We’re 7 years into Barrett’s career now and it doesn’t seem like he’ll ever be an above league average shooter from deep. This obviously wouldn’t be the most desired outcome, but Barrett has hovered around 20 points per game ever since the 2021-2022 season with decent efficiency.
If Dybantsa ended up like Barrett would that feel like a let down? Sure, but Barrett is still a very solid player and can fit into any system. It isn’t ideal, but having Dybantsa be the next RJ Barrett wouldn’t be the end of the world.
Medium End: DeMar DeRozan
If this were a Pokemon evolution, DeMar DeRozan would be the Charmeleon stage of player. We want Charizard, of course, but Charmeleon is still pretty good. In this scenario Dybantsa still doesn’t reach his “full potential” but he becomes a master at slashing to the rim and becomes lethal in the midrange. DeRozan has had an incredible career, and while I’m sure that he would have liked a championship to go with all his personal accolades and stats, what he’s been able to do over the last 17 years has been outstanding.
DeRozan is in a very elite club of basketball players with over 26,000 points (and counting) in the league. This past season was actually a down year for him as he “only” scored 18.4 points per game, which is the first time that he’s scored less than 20 points per game since President Obama was in his first term. He’s maintained this level of excellence for most of his career, and if Dybantsa can follow in his footsteps, I think that scoring over 25,000 points is pretty great.
High End: Paul George
In this (hopeful) scenario, Dybantsa figures the game out. He’s a great at rim finisher, he has a great post game, he has stretched his game out to the three point line and shoots a respectable clip (George has shot 38% for his career from deep), AND he becomes an elite defender. As a legitimate two-way threat he’s able to put himself into MVP contention and propel this team to heights that they haven’t seen in quite some time.
This is asking for a lot, at least for right now, but I believe that in time he’ll be able to make the necessary adjustments to thrive in this game. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a truly remarkable season from George, but the streets won’t forget his run in Indiana, or what he was able to do alongside Russell Westbrook in OKC. That is what we’re striving for, and I think that Dybantsa has the ability to make it happen.
Ceiling
There is a secret fourth senecio where Dybantsa is so good that he goes beyond every single comparison I just made and becomes truly one of the elite; not just for a particular season, but potentially of all-time. That is a ridiculous amount of pressure to put on a 20 year old kid, but when you’re a top prospect in the NBA, it comes with the territory.
This may be a controversial statement (for multiple reasons) but in a world where Dybantsa becomes an all-time great player, I think that he could be as good as Jayson Tatum was prior to his Achilles injury. Some of why I say that is the Boston connection – Dybantsa grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts and grew up as a Boston Celtics fan, but when you look at what Dybantsa was able to do for BYU after Richie Saunders went down with an injury, dare I say it was very Tatum-esque.
Most NBA fans could tell you that Jayson Tatum scores with the best of them, is very efficient given his offensive responsibilities, and that he’s been one of the best 15 players in the league for quite some time. What Boston Celtics fans will tell you is that not only is he a great scorer, but he’s also a great facilitator, defender, and rebounder.
Tatum has averaged more than 7 rebounds per game since the 2019-2020 season, he’s averaged more than 4 assists per game since the 2020-2021 season, and while he won’t show up in any All-Defensive teams, you could make the argument that if the Celtics didn’t have Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday at various points, that his defense would be more widely known across the league’s fans. Even when you look at his (limited) games this year after coming back from injury, they show how great of a player he still is: nearly 22 points per game, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and almost 1.5 steals. Not to mention the fact that Tatum, at only 27 years old mind you (although some people still say he’s 19) he has finished Top-6 in MVP voting 4 times, he’s a 6x All-Star, and a 5x All-NBA selection with four of them being 1st team.
I believe that Dybantsa has the ability to round out his game like Tatum has. Dybantsa has all the tools to be an All-World kind of player, and if he ends up like Tatum, we may be talking about multiple championships in Utah.
We here at SLC Dunk are AMPED for the draft and have a lot of great articles on the way, so be on the lookout for that! What do you think of Dybantsa as a prospect? Do you think we should draft someone else if we have the chance? Sound off in the comments!
May 24, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) shoots while defended by San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) in the fourth quarter during game four of the western conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images
Today is Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs play the Oklahoma City Thunder at 8:30 p.m. ET. Watch it on NBC (WRC-TV) in the DMV.
Enjoy hearing “Roundball Rock” non-stop and the basketball.
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 8: Karl Malone (L) and John Stockton of the Utah Jazz appear 08 June at a press conference at the United Center in Chicago, IL. The Chicago Bulls defeated the Jazz 96-54 in game three of the NBA Finals 07 June to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. (Photo credit should read DAN LIPPITT/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
On May 10th, 2026, the Utah Jazz won the No. 2 pick at the NBA Draft Lottery. Marking the first time in Jazz history they’ve moved up in the lottery, it’s been a little over two weeks since the Jazz were able to move up. If I’m being honest, I don’t think Jazz fans are excited enough. This draft class, as you already should know, is truly special, and for the Jazz to land the No. 2 pick this year with everything else they’ve accumulated truly is a franchise-changing moment.
The final results from the NBA Draft Lottery 2026:
1. Washington Wizards 2. Utah Jazz 3. Memphis Grizzlies 4. Chicago Bulls 5. LA Clippers 6. Brooklyn Nets 7. Sacramento Kings 8. Atlanta Hawks 9. Dallas Mavericks 10. Milwaukee Bucks 11. Golden State Warriors 12. Oklahoma…
The Jazz have finished last place in the Western Conference two years in a row now. They haven’t made the playoffs since Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were still leading the team during the 2021-2022 season. The Jazz haven’t made the Western Conference Finals since the 2006-2007 season, falling to the Spurs 4-1. And of course we all know the story of how John Stockton and Karl Malone fell to Michael Jordan and the Bulls in ’97 and ’98. Losing two Finals back-to-back is brutal, and the truth is being a Jazz fan has really only ever brought pain and suffering, but I believe it’s all about to pay off.
While the Jazz did finish last in the Western Conference the past two seasons, you’d be blind to ignore the trajectory the team is currently riding. And let’s be completely honest, if the Jazz actually tried to win last season they probably could’ve slid in as an 8th seed via the play-in. Fortunately they did the right thing, choosing to play for the draft pick. The worst-case scenario for the Jazz in the lottery would’ve been picking 8th. Even in that hypothetical, the Jazz would’ve almost certainly been a top 6 seed next year in an already loaded Western Conference, with Keyonte George, Lauri Markkanen, and Jaren Jackson Jr. leading the way, Walker Kessler likely returning, and an emerging Ace Bailey by his side. That would’ve been more than enough to get the Jazz back into the fight in the West, but finally the lottery gods blessed the Jazz — not with the No. 4, not No. 3, but No. 2!!! In a draft class where it’s truly 1A, 1B, and 1B might just be the best player in the class! That’s not the point of this discussion though. It does not matter who the Jazz take. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is. The Jazz are getting a franchise-changing player no matter what.
The ultimate goal is always to win the NBA Finals. The Jazz have been in Utah for 47 years, and we are still waiting for the first parade through Salt Lake City. I believe the Jazz are on the path to us potentially having one of those parades in the coming years, but it won’t be easy. Watching the Western Conference Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs has been intimidating, to say the least… But I truly believe now after the lottery the Jazz are positioned to where they could realistically beat one of those teams in a playoff series.
We’re just about a month away from the 2026 NBA Draft! This could be the best time to be a Jazz fan in franchise history. Am I too bullish? Do you agree? When was the last time you were this excited about a Jazz team? The Jazz are going to be FUN next year, and I personally can’t wait to see just how high this team can fly.
Victor Wembanyama led the San Antonio Spurs to a massive win on Sunday, and now they hit the road again to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5.
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Spurs Game 5 computer picks
Julian Champagnie Over 9.5 points (+100)
Projection: 11.06 points
There's no denying Julian Champagnie is running cold, but he's almost running too cold. The wing is getting a plethora of open looks throughout the game, and he's too good a shooter to keep missing them.
Our model calls for him to break the slump tonight.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet champagnie Now at bet365!/span
Dylan Harper Over 9.5 points (-105)
Projection: 10.16 points
Dylan Harper is blossoming into a young star before our very eyes. While he's taken a bit of a backseat scoring-wise in Games 2 and 3, he surpassed 10+ points in the five games prior.
Expect him to reach that milestone in Game 5.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet harper Now at bet365!/span
De-Aaron Fox Over 14.5 points (-112)
Projection: 15.87 points
De-Aaron Fox failed to score 15+ points for the first time all postseason in Game 4, but he's still getting the same amount of volume. It was an off night for anyone not named Wemby, and he'll find his touch at Paycom this evening.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet fox Now at bet365!/span
Thunder Game 5 computer picks
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 7.5 assists (+115)
Projection: 6.79 assists
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will once again be called upon to score with the Oklahoma City Thunder seemingly shorthanded again. San Antonio opted to stray away from double-teaming the MVP last time out, which led to bad shooting nights from his teammates.
The San Antonio Spurs will take a similar approach and dare SGA to beat them.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet SGA Now at bet365!/span
Chet Holmgren Over 13.5 points (+105)
Projection: 14.77 points
There's no denying how bad Chet Holmgen played on the road, but he has a chance to shine in front of the home crowd tonight. Our model expects him to return to form, with his team in desperate need of his scoring.
span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet holmgren Now at bet365!/span
Isaiah Hartenstein Over 6.5 points (-130)
Projection: 7.75 points
Isaiah Hartenstein continues to make the most of his limited minutes, fresh off a 12-point performance. The Spurs are more than happy with Hartenstein shooting, because that means the ball isn't in SGA's hands. This is a very obtainable number for the big man.
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How to watch Spurs vs Thunder Game 5
Location
Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, OK
Date
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock/NBC
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CLEVELAND - A month ago, Clyde Frazier was sitting in a back hallway of State Farm Arena chatting with a reporter. In a few hours, the Knicks would take the floor for a win-or-die Game 4 against Atlanta. Naturally, the conversation with Frazier turned to the Knicks’ struggles with the Hawks.
What was wrong with the offense? Should Mike Brown change the starting lineup? How do they slow down CJ McCollum?
Before parting ways, Frazier offered one last thought on the Knicks.
“They have a lot of pride in there,” he said, “A lot of pride. Let’s see what happens.”
Fast forward four weeks and Frazier is on the court in Cleveland, celebrating the Knicks’ Eastern Conference title.
“They’re on a roll,” Frazier said after New York’s dominant Game 4 win.
Obviously, Frazier was right about the pride in the Knick locker room. New York is undefeated since the Hall of Famer shared his thoughts on that Sunday in Atlanta.
And Frazier thinks the best may be yet to come for New York.
“The last 11 games, the way they’re getting up and down the court, everyone is moving and grooving,” Frazier said late Monday night.
“Every game they seem to get better and better (with) movement, defense. I think the pace is what’s really changed,” Frazier said. “They can go on runs now, 10 or 15 points, and just blow the game right open. And they weren’t doing that during the regular season.”
Yes, Frazier sees similarities between his title-winning teams and these Knicks.
“Once we got healthy, we had that good continuity going,” Frazier said of the 1973 champs. “They have 10 guys that are thriving, so it doesn’t seem to matter who (Brown) puts in the game, they come through with what they need.”
“I just told the maestro to keep doing it. He’s very level-headed, always wants to do team-oriented things. He’s very focused,” Frazier said.
A few feet away, John Starks was taking in the scene.
“That’s legacy there. Those two guys was pillars of this organization for so many years,” Starks said of Ewing and Frazier. “To be able to see them hand out the trophy, it means a lot.”
Just like the rest of the fan base, Starks, Ewing and other Knicks alumni have been living and dying with every possession this spring.
“Just a special moment,” Starks said of Monday’s celebration. “I’m happy for those guys because they did it together.”
Starks knows the New York market as well as anyone. He knows the scrutiny that comes with it. No better place to win. No tougher place to lose. He believes this Knick team has the right temperament to handle it all.
“I think (Knick president) Leon (Rose) and (Knicks Executive Vice President William Wesley) did a great job of putting together like-minded individuals. And that’s what it takes – guys who are not gonna get too high and get too low,” Starks said. “And they cheer for one another and they like one another. So that’s what it takes….Because things can get tough and you got to know who’s in the same boat as you. You don’t want to see guys jumping ship. These guys don’t jump. If the boat’s going to go down, they’re going to go down together.”
Right now, the boat isn’t going down. It’s floating, just like every other Knicks fan who's watched this run.
MUTED CELEBRATION
Before the media arrived in the Knicks' locker room, I asked a member of the organization if there was any champagne celebration. “Did you forget that Jalen Brunson is on this team?” they said.
I don’t know if it was a directive from Brunson, but the Knicks’ celebration was muted on Monday night. There were a few people sipping beers. But it was mostly business as usual.
“The celebrations were minimal. We really wanna get back to work,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “We know what happened last time we had the long layoff, so we already talked after the game right away about preparing, getting to practice, back to the work. That’s what’s made us special and it’s what’s gonna give us a chance to win the next series.”
The Knicks had a nine-day layoff between the second round and the conference finals. They struggled to shoot for much of Game 1. They trailed by 22 in the fourth quarter before Brunson led their comeback.
“We’ll do a better job this time around of just preparing for that kind of situation to happen,” Towns said. “I think obviously the coaches have done an amazing job getting us ready for Game 1, but obviously we didn’t go out there and shoot well. I think I looked up at one point and we were at four percent from three.
“So, we just gotta figure out a way to get those game-like reps. I think the coaching staff heard us loud and clear. We wanna get back to work and keep the rhythm and also maybe change up the philosophy of how we have those scrimmages… that we didn’t do last time. So I think we’ll be better prepared, but at the end of the day, it’s all about execution, desperation. We gotta bring it Game 1.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, Alex Caruso led another strong bench effort with 22 and the Oklahoma City Thunder moved one win away from a return trip to the NBA Finals by beating the San Antonio Spurs 127-114 on Tuesday night.
Jared McCain — getting the call with Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell both sidelined — scored 20 in his first playoff start for the defending NBA champion Thunder, who lead the Western Conference finals 3-2.
Chet Holmgren had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Thunder, while Isaiah Hartenstein had a 12-point, 15-rebound night in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder, who were held to 82 points in a Game 4 loss two days earlier, had 82 points on Tuesday before the third quarter was 3 1/2 minutes old.
“We obviously played a lot better, in terms of our process and then also the outcome,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “It’s a playoff series. If you look at any playoff series that goes to six games, at least, there’s going to be some tough games. We had a tough game the other night. This team does a great job of just coming back in the next day in a very neutral way, taking whatever the lessons are, applying them forward and getting into the next opportunity.”
Stephon Castle scored 24 points for San Antonio, which got 22 points from Julian Champagnie and 20 points from Victor Wembanyama — who was held to 4-of-15 shooting.
Keldon Johnson scored 15 off the bench for San Antonio, which missed 29 of its 41 3-point tries.
“It just felt like it was a little bit of everything in terms of we did not put ourselves in position enough to be successful on each possession,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And so, to beat a team of this caliber, in their building, with the stakes, we’ll need to be a lot better to give yourself a chance.”
Game 6 is Thursday in San Antonio. If there’s a Game 7, it’ll be back in Oklahoma City on Saturday — and while this series winds down, the New York Knicks are waiting to see who emerges.
The Knicks will visit either the Thunder or Spurs in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 3.
Oklahoma City scored 40 points in the second quarter to take control and kept the lead the rest of the way.
“We just played to who we were tonight,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
It took nearly 10 minutes for the first free throws to be awarded. But when the parade to the foul line started, it didn’t stop.
The teams combined to make 29 free throws in the second quarter alone, the most in the second quarter of any NBA game since the bubble playoffs nearly six years ago. It wasn’t a one-sided thing — the Spurs were 15 for 17 in the quarter, the Thunder 14 for 14.
Oklahoma City went up by 20 in the third, before San Antonio closed within eight. The Spurs might have had some chances to cut even further into the deficit, but were fuming — and rightly so, it seemed — over some missed calls in the final minute of the quarter.
A tip-in try by San Antonio’s Luke Kornet with about 56 seconds left was knocked off the rim by Oklahoma City’s Cason Wallace and should have been goaltending. And on the next Spurs’ possession, an out-of-bounds call that should have gone their way — replays showed the ball went out off of Holmgren — did not. Johnson tried to challenge the call, got ignored, then got a technical foul for arguing.
“They just said they didn’t see me,” Johnson said.
After all that, Oklahoma City’s lead was 101-91 going into the fourth. The Thunder kept a double-digit lead for all but 25 seconds of the final quarter — a huge turnaround from a 21-point loss in San Antonio on Sunday.
“We definitely got better from the last game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.
Many can be credited for the rise of the Knicks, but few more than Leon Rose.
The team’s president, usually behind the scenes, got visibly emotional in the stands in Cleveland while watching the team he helped build reach the NBA Finals by completing a sweep of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals at Rocket Arena on Monday.
Rose became president of the Knicks on March 2, 2020, taking over after Steven Mills was let go, as the team did not have a winning record during his tenure. Mills struck out on star free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019
When Rose stepped in, he immediately revitalized the team under head coach Tom Thibodeau, and the Knicks reached the playoffs in 2021 for the first time since 2013.
Rose, the former head basketball agent at Creative Arts Agency, continued to build a team by signing Jalen Brunson in 2022. On top of smart signings, Rose negotiated trades for other stars, such as OG Anunoby, and was willing to give up star player Julius Randle to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns. Rose also sent a haul of first-round draft picks to the Nets for Mikal Bridges.
Jalen Brunson, after receiving the Eastern Conference Finals MVP Getty Images
Rose also made the hard decision in the 2025 offseason to fire the coach he brought in at the beginning of the rebuild. He let Thibodeau go and hired Mike Brown. In the same offseason, he revamped the bench by signing important pieces Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet. The final addition came at the deadline by adding former Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado.
This plan began at the beginning of his tenure; when hired, Rose sent a letter to the fans that talked about the future of the team.
“Everyone — from ownership to athletes, to staff and especially our fans — wants this team to be a winner,” Rose wrote. “We will have all the resources necessary to create a great organization — one that supports our efforts to build a winning culture and gives Knicks fans, and the city of New York, the team you deserve.”
Knicks president Leon Rose and Timothee Chalamet celebrate on the floor at the end of the fourth quarter. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Now Rose has delivered on these promises with the team back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
The Knicks are four wins away from hoisting the championship for the first time since 1973. The team will await the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Spurs, which is tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 in Oklahoma City on Tuesday night.
May 23, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts in the third quarter against the New York Knicks during game three of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell has cemented himself as one of the best players in Cleveland Cavaliers’ franchise history in just four seasons. He’s been an All-Star each year and earned a spot on an All-NBA team three times. On top of that, he was the best player on a group that went to the conference finals for the first time since 2018. Even though things ended poorly, that is an accomplishment.
Mitchell signed a contract extension with the Cavs in 2024 and is eligible for another one this summer. He’s guaranteed under contract for one more year with a player option for the 2027-28 season.
Whether he and the Cavs can come to an extension this summer remains to be seen. There’s financial incentives for him to wait until after next season to sign. Players with 10 years of service time are eligible for more money.
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Whether or not he does, Mitchell has made it clear that he loves playing in Cleveland and wants to continue playing for a team that can compete for championships.
“I love it here,” Mitchell said when asked about a possible contract extension this summer. “I don’t know how else to say it. I said it before I signed the other extension. I love it here, and I have no doubt this group can get there, but you know, reports are going to be reports, people are going to be people. But I said the same thing, we have unfinished business.”
Mitchell has embraced Cleveland in a way that star players don’t always do. He mentioned repeatedly during his nearly half-hour press conference with reporters after the Game 4 loss to the Knicks that he feels bad that he let the city down.
“It’s great energy to see in the city when we got to the conference finals,” Mitchell said. “Just to feel that, like that’s amazing. That’s why getting swept like this sucks, because you know, you feel it even driving in, like people are going crazy. Like, I love that. I love that about this place, man. The city deserves a ring, and we just, we just got to keep going.”
Despite getting swept in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly revealed that they plan on returning head coach Kenny Atkinson, his coaching staff and the front office for the 2026-27 season.
Breaking: Cavs plan to keep Kenny Atkinson, coaching staff, front office together after Eastern Conference finals sweep, @TheAthleticNBAhttps://t.co/EE418WBoyt
Per The Athletic's Joe Vardon, there were questions surrounding the organization regarding their future. However, the team ultimately decided to keep everyone around after their first conference finals appearance since 2018, and their first without LeBron James since 1992.
Following the series loss to the Knicks, Atkinson was asked how confident he was in his job security. He said, "Listen, I have confidence, confidence in myself first of all, confidence in the group."
He also stressed that he was proud of what his team was able to accomplish.
Atkinson's accomplishments as Cavaliers head coach
Atkinson has been head coach of the Cavaliers for two seasons. In 2025, he was named NBA Coach of the Year and led the Cavs to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, but lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.
In 2026, the team took a step back, managing just 52 wins, but still reaching the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's No. 4 seed. The team needed to win two Game 7's to get past the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons in the first two rounds before getting swept in the Eastern Conference finals.
Atkinson boasts a 13-14 playoff record as the Cavaliers' head coach.
Despite the money, the team fell short of expectations and will need to decide on the future of role players like Dean Wade, who is scheduled to become a free agent. Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden also have questions around their future. Mitchell can sign an extension, while Harden's contract can be restructured.
There is no word yet on what the Cavaliers plan on doing with their roster this offseason.
Despite an ugly sweep at the hands of the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals, the franchise is bringing its head coach back next season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Atkinson, who has been the head coach in Cleveland for the past two seasons, guided the Cavaliers back to the conference finals this year for the first time in eight years before their postseason run came to a screeching halt against the NBA Finals-bound Knicks.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Four of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Rocket Arena on May 25, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. Getty Images
A year ago, Cleveland went a franchise-best 64-18 during the regular season and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, helping Atkinson win NBA Coach of the Year in his first season.
The Cavaliers playoff run would be cut short after falling to the eventual East champion Pacers in the semifinals.
Cleveland took a step back record-wise during the regular season, but entered the postseason with championship ambitions after a blockbuster trade for James Harden before the deadline that sent young point guard Darius Garland and a 2026 second-round pick to the Clippers.
A few bizarre incidents during the sweep at the hands of the Knicks had some assuming Atkinson would be on his way out.
In Game 1, Atkinson called just one timeout while the Knicks went on a 30-8 run in the fourth quarter before eventually winning in overtime.
“He understands his team,” Harden said. “Of course, somebody’s going to have to take criticism, whether it’s myself or Kenny or whoever, the entire team. They’re going to put it on somebody.”
Kenny Atkinson coaching during Game 4. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“But I think for Kenny, he did an unbelievable job of getting me acclimated as fast as possible to understanding what I’m supposed to be doing out there. It’s just an unfortunate situation. Any team coming off of a tough, two series against two defensive monsters, it would have been challenging.”
Donovan Mitchell echoed the sentiment.
“We’ve done something that we haven’t done since 2018,” Mitchell said Monday night. “I love Kenny. We love Kenny. We ride with Kenny, and ultimately that’s all that matters.”
After taking blame for the team’s Game 3 loss, Victor Wembanyama responded with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in Game 4. The newly crowned first-team All-NBA selection capped off the first half with a spectacular, buzzer-beating 65-foot three-pointer from the midcourt stripe.
Oklahoma City, which had scored at least 108 points in every single postseason game before Sunday, could not get past San Antonio’s physical, disciplined defensive game plan. The team shot 33% from the field and turned the ball over 20 times.
NBA Western conference finals: what to know
What: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
When: May 26, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
Channel: NBC
Streaming: DIRECTV (try it free)
A Game 6 in this series is guaranteed; the series will move back to San Antonio for a Thursday night matchup.
Spurs vs. Thunder start time:
Spurs vs. Thunder Game 5 is scheduled to tip off at 8:30 p.m. ET tonight, May 26.
DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes NBC (plus nearly every other channel you’ll need for the rest of the NBA postseason). When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $44.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.
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Sling TV is another affordable way to watch TV live and stream NBA games; its Select plan includes NBC and starts at $19.99/month.
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers have hired Rohan Ramadas as their assistant general manager of strategy and data systems, making the first major move of their offseason to bolster their front office under new ownership.
The Lakers announced the decision Tuesday to add Ramadas, who spent the past nine years working with the New Orleans Pelicans, including the past two as their vice president of strategy and basketball operations. He will be in charge of “basketball analytics and strategic initiatives for basketball operations,” the Lakers said in a statement.
Ramadas is a University of Southern California graduate and a Bay Area native who also spent 12 years working in the aerospace industry.
“Rohan is an important and strong addition to our front office as we further build out our basketball operations resources,” general manager Rob Pelinka said. “His unique blend of career experiences and analytical expertise will further strengthen the strong work already taking place internally within our data analytics and salary cap management teams.”
Pelinka repeated earlier this month that the Lakers intend to add talent to their executive suite in a transformation of the organization under the ownership of Mark Walter. The Los Angeles Dodgers owner bought a controlling stake in the Lakers last year from the Buss family, which had a fraction of Walter's financial resources.
Several of Walter's top executives with the Dodgers have already taken an active role in working with the Lakers. Lon Rosen, a longtime Dodgers executive who previously served as Magic Johnson's agent, joined the Lakers as their president of business operations in February.
The Lakers also intend to hire a second assistant general manager to oversee scouting and player development, Pelinka said.
The Lakers won their second straight Pacific Division title and reached the playoffs for the fourth straight season this spring. Los Angeles then upset Houston in the first round despite the absence of injured superstar Luka Doncic, but was subsequently swept by Oklahoma City in the second round.
“It was an embarrassment for the league to witness that. The lack of competition to compete in between the lines at this stage.”
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers got outclassed by the Knicks. Getty Images
Perkins went as far as to say that everyone in the organization should be on the chopping block, even after they were part of the final four teams in the playoffs.
“If I’m Dan Gilbert, I’m looking at every single person on that roster, every single person on that coaching staff, and I’m saying everybody is on the chopping block. Every single one of them,” Perkins said. “We are not going to give Donovan Mitchell a pass. Those points was cute, but they weren’t powerful.”
This was the fourth straight year in which the Cavaliers made the playoffs, improving steadily and now reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2018.
It is not just Perkins who was upset with the outcome of the latest series.
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Fellow star guard Donovan Mitchell is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. Mitchell is making a team-high $46.4 million, tied with Evan Mobley.
Both players have indicated that they are interested in continuing what they built in Cleveland. But that decision will ultimately come down to general manager Mike Gansey.
He will be tasked with putting the right pieces in place for the Cavaliers to return to the NBA finals.
However, it will take a long time to get the bad taste of the recent series out of their mouth.
The San Antonio Spurs take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The series is tied 2-2 after the Spurs’ Game 4 victory. Oklahoma City is favored with a -192 moneyline compared to San Antonio's +159. The over/under is 216.5.
How to watch San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Moneyline: Oklahoma City Thunder -192 (63.0%) / San Antonio Spurs +159 (37.0%)
Over/Under: 216.5
Series schedule, results
Game 1:Spurs 122, Thunder 115 (2OT) Game 2:Thunder 122, Spurs 113 Game 3:Thunder 123, Spurs 108 Game 4: Spurs 103, Thunder 82 Game 5: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Tuesday May 26, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock) Game 6: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Thursday May 28, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)* Game 7: San Antonio at Oklahoma City (Saturday May 30, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)*
Spurs
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