From an international prospect perspective, no NBA Draft is ever complete without a prospect from the ever-colourful Mega Basket in Serbia. Mega Basket has run under many guises in the past due to sponsorship reasons; Mega Leks, Mega Bemax, Mega Soccertbet, Mega Mozzart, Mega MIS, and now Mega Superbet.

Regardless of the ever-changing name, there are two things that are consistent with this club: their pink jerseys, and their contribution of talent to the NBA Draft. Over the years, players who have been selected from Mega Basket include Ivica Zubac, Goga Bitazde, Nikola Jovic, and one Nikola Jokic.

The Atlanta Hawks themselves have made two acquisitions from Mega Basket: Alpha Kaba in 2017, and more recently Nikola Djurisic by way of a draft-night trade with Miami, though neither played for the Hawks in an NBA game. Djurisic has since returned to Mega Basket since being waived by Atlanta earlier this year.

Only three of the 17 Mega Basket’s draft selections have been selected in the first round: Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Bitazde, and Jovic. However, it is unclear if Mega Basket will have another first round selection in 2026. 19 year old Italian center Luigi Suigo is the focus of today’s scouting report.

Suigo will hope to become the latest of a respectable crop of players who will be selected wearing Mega Basket’s famous pink attire and has produced a solidly productive season. Suigo averaged 8.5 points per game on 55.8% shooting on 6.4 field goal attempts, 30% from three on 1.8 attempts, 63% from the line on 1.1 attempts, five rebounds, two offensive rebounds, 0.8 assists, one block, and 2.8 fouls in 18 minutes per game in 32 games played, starting 20 of them, per RealGM.

Perhaps most critically when it comes to evaluating Suigo as a prospect are his official physical measurements at the recent NBA combine, which have only added to the intrigue that surrounds him. Suigo measures at a towering 7 foot 2.75 inches in bare feet, a 7-foot 5.5-inch wingspan, a standing reach of 9 foot 6 inches, while weighing at 289 pounds. Before even touching a basketball, this is elite size and, depending on the skill that surrounds it, could see Suigo drafted inside the first round.

Let’s take a look at the footage, and see, indeed, what level of talent and potential surrounds Luigi Suigo’s elite physical frame. Suigo wears the number 19, though you’re not likely to see it as the number coloring clashes with the colourful jerseys. However, given his size, it’ll be hard to miss Suigo.

Offense/scoring

Shooting nearly 56% from the field, Suigo was efficient on the attempts he did manage to see, and he didn’t see too many, averaging six field goals per game. Given his size, three easy sources of offense for Suigo include pick-and-roll, a target at the rim to aim for, and offensive rebounding for second chance points.

On the screen, Suigo rolls to the rim with pace and finishes ahead of the defender, who has no chance to block from behind:

On the screen above the break, Suigo rolls to the rim where his elite size means there’s no defending him at the rim, and he finishes with the dunk:

Again on the screen up-top, Suigo rolls to the rim but displays more finesse and patience this time as he waits for the defender to leave his feet before finishing at the rim:

This time on the pick-and-roll, Suigo finishes over the top on the alley-oop at the rim, showcasing his athleticism:

This seems like a good time to transition to Suigo as an arial/lob threat at the rim, where his size and athleticism makes him a good target for his teammates.

After some lax defense allows Suigo to stroll inside, he provides an easy outlet for the alley-oop finish:

After his teammate breaks down the defense on the drive, Suigo is positioned perfectly at the rim for an easy alley-oop:

You can see instances where Suigo’s sheer size allows him to finish opportunities that otherwise may not be possible, such as this alley-oop thrown behind Suigo, who manages to extend to guide home the basket:

Here’s another play which exemplifies Suigo’s size advantage as he runs in transition, receives the ball in the paint, and he is simply able to extend over the outstretched defense for a basket:

Trailing the play in the paint, Suigo is on hand to collect the pass back where he finishes at the rim:

On the switch created on the pick-and-roll, Suigo is an easy option inside with the mismatch, and he finishes at the rim:

Suigo’s size also allows him to cause issues on the offensive glass and can also be an easy source of points.

Off of a miss from a teammate at the rim, Suigo is on hand to collect the offensive rebound where he keeps the ball above the defenders in the paint and finishes at the rim:

After being unable to guide the alley-oop home after the pick-and-roll, Suigo grabs his own miss and finishes at the rim:

Off of a missed shot, Suigo follows the ball through and gets ahead of the opposition to stick back the offensive put-back dunk:

Off of a missed jumpshot this time, Suigo boxes out his opponent, and converts the offensive rebound put-back dunk:

Again, Suigo’s size means that as long as the ball bounces the right way, there’s often not a lot the opposition can do to keep him off the glass, in this case Suigo scores the second chance at the rim:

Suigo’s size means, similar to converting alley-oops which are behind him, he can reach back to a greater degree than other players, in this he does so to guide home the offensive rebound:

This ability to crash the glass can also result in drawing fouls and free throws:

These next two plays that Suigo made inside the arc that don’t fall in the category of pick-and-roll/alley-oops/offensive rebounding that are worth looking at, but they showcase Suigo’s offensive potential.

Faking off the three-point line, Suigo operates off the dribble and steps into the long jumpshot:

Receiving the ball on the out of bounds play, Suigo spins out of the fake dribble hand-off and drives all the way to the rim for the dunk:

More of those types of plays would open up a lot offensively for Suigo. As would successful three-point shooting, which alludes Suigo right now, but 30% is a foundation to build on right now. Here are some of the looks Suigo made to get an eye-in for his shot:

Suigo also did a good job with his screen setting or using his body otherwise to carve out space for his teammates. We’ve looked at some of these in pick-and-roll scenarios where Suigo has finished at the rim or with an alley-oop but let’s look at additional scenarios.

On this screen, Suigo opens up the space for a three-pointer for his teammate which is converted:

On this play, Suigo sets the screen to create separation and then is able to carve out additional space to fend off the shot blocker, allowing for a finish at the basket:

Here, the down screen set by Suigo opens the space for a three-point attempt. Even after the airball, Suigo is able to collect the offensive rebound:

Another screen on the perimeter allows for an opening for a three-point attempt:

There were a couple of possessions that concerned me, especially for a big-man. Sometimes, Suigo’s hands let him down, and he allows the ball to bobble about and lose control:

Passing/playmaking

Suigo averaged 0.8 assists per game, so there isn’t too much to say here, but a couple of noteworthy moments passing the ball.

On this play, Suigo is credited for the assist on the dribble hand-off and sets a screen to help open space for a made three:

After the pick-and-roll, Suigo receives the ball and delivers a great overhead pass, only for the shot to be blocked:

On this play, Suigo does well to realize his surroundings and when he receives the ball he shifts the ball over to the open man for a three-point attempt:

This time off the dribble, Suigo drives inside and delivers an intuitive drop-pass at the rim for an assist as his teammate finishes the play:

Defense

There’s quite a bit to discuss here, and while I’ve been positive on Suigo as a whole up to this point, defensively is where there are a number of concerns to be had relating to Suigo as an NBA prospect. Ultimately, I’d be extremely worried that he’d be too slow in the NBA defensively to stay on the court.

Mega Basket often had Suigo show/hedge on screens, but Suigo simply doesn’t have the mobility to do this and recover consistently; one way or another he ends up too far behind the play. We looked at Momo Faye recently, and while he may not enter the draft this year, he demonstrated how to successfully utilize his mobility to hedge on pick-and-rolls. Suigo cannot do this. When he shows on this screen, he cannot get back quick enough to the pick-and-roll big, who scores at the rim while Suigo is too far behind:

On this play, Suigo switches to the ball-handler briefly, and he cannot get back to his man on the three-point line:

Again, Suigo shows on the screen, and he cannot get back to the three-point shooter on the screen, in this case, former NBA player Donatas Motiejunas, who hits the three:

A similar play is run again, but this time Motiejunas dives to the rim with the ball, and Suigo is unable to keep up and Motiejunas dunks at the rim:

On the pick-and-roll, again the ball is delivered to the big on the roll, and Suigo is unable to keep up with the play, which eventually ends with a basket at the rim:

On the screen and re-screen, Suigo shows on the ball-handler but when the ball is delivered to the roller Suigo is again unable to get back with the play and the shot block attempt is unsuccessful:

Suigo doesn’t fare too well on switches; he’s just too slow to keep up.

On a switch on a pick-and-roll, Suigo is too slow to keep up with the switch, who gets an open shot off:

On another switch, Suigo is too slow to be able to live with the switch, and on the layup attempt he’s called for the goal-tend:

Suigo is also foul prone, and his lack of mobility is one contributing factor towards this, as well as others.

On the switch, Suigo is called for the foul on the bump:

On another switch, Suigo commits another foul on the drive, leading to free throws:

Suigo is called for another foul on the drive from the outside, leading to more free throws:

Suigo is just not mobile enough to be able to face-guard like this and get away with; he cannot keep up on the drive.

On another drive, Suigo’s lack of mobility means he cannot maintain the guard, and he commit the foul on the drive:

Suigo is active going for block attempts, but he can get these wrong at times, which can also contribute to his foul trouble.

On the rotation trying to block the shot, Suigo makes contact from behind and commits the foul on the shot, plus the make:

Suigo mistimes this block attempt badly, misreading the situation at the rim, smashing clumsily into the offensive player, and the basket is scored, plus the foul:

On a late rotation, Suigo does well to recognize the danger and makes the right read/rotation towards it, but commits the foul on the follow-through, leading to free throws:

On the pick-and-roll, Sugio shows on the drive and when the ball is delivered to the roll-man — his man — Suigo commits the foul on the block attempt at the rim:

There were other defensive moments that were not ideal when watching Sugio; these don’t fit into any particular category, but were moments that weren’t ideal.

On this play, Suigo is beaten by a standstill up-and-under move:

On this next play, Suigo squanders a good defensive position between himself and the baseline, and loses position underneath the basket where Suigo is beaten and concedes at the rim:

Right, that’s the negatives out of the way when it comes to Suigo’s defense. Not to glaze over these before moving onto the positives; these are glaring weaknesses that could really harm Suigo’s defensive upside and limit his NBA ceiling. If you’re exploited over and over again defensively, or too slow to operate defensively, eventually your game-time is just going to disappear.

Moving to positives now, Suigo’s size and length contribute to defenders thinking twice as they get into the paint.

On this drive to the rim, Suigo rotates and his vertical challenges forces the pass out away from the rim:

On another drive to rim, Suigo picks up the drive and his size is a likely contributor to the pass-out to the three-point line:

Suigo’s size also helps him contest shots to a high degree, such as on this drive where Suigo doesn’t even move to impact the shot; he just raises his hands and it’s enough to force a wild shot:

Coming off of the screening action, Suigo steps up to the three-point line and contests the three-point shot, which results in an airball:

Inside the paint after the pick-and-roll, Suigo’s size and length helps him put up a good contest on the hook-shot, which is missed:

On the rotation, Suigo steps up in the paint to contest a runner, and helps contribute to the miss:

Suigo’s rotations can be effective, and beyond contesting/blocking shots, such as the rotation at the baseline on this play, which prompts a pass that leads to a turnover:

And, of course, Suigo’s size/length helps him blocks shots.

On the drive, the ball-handler tries to finish around Suigo, who is on-hand to block the shot at the rim:

When Suigo steps up in the paint — and the ball delivered behind him — he recovers and blocks the shot from behind at the rim:

In closing…

Luigi Suigo will naturally draw interest from NBA teams as his physical profile and measurements are elite for a prospect, especially one who just turned 19 earlier this year. Already, Suigo has a good physical frame and excellent physical tools. Suigo has elite size, and length, which is put to good use on both ends of the floor.

Let’s discuss Suigo further. Offensively, Suigo’s is most effective right now in pick-and-roll, as a lob threat, and on the offensive glass. The latter is the most likely to immediately translate, followed by his danger as a lob threat, and lastly pick-and-roll. None of these skills are elite as yet but there’s certainly enough for an NBA team to begin with in terms of development, plus the potential for more physical growth from Suigo. Suigo’s hands can be a concern at times but, overall, he put his physical tools to good use on the offensive end. Suigo is also a good screener, and this can certainly be immediately utilized.

As a three-point shooter, Suigo is a developing threat, and pick-and-pop scenarios would seem to be a good focal point for continued development. Realistically speaking, Suigo’s NBA effectiveness on the offensive end is going to be largely dependent on how effective he can shoot from three. If he was to become a consistent three-point shooter, then Suigo truly offers something unique in the NBA: elite size to combine with shooting. The rest — pick-and-roll, lobs, offensive rebounds — are helpful, but if Suigo is to truly succeed in the NBA, the shooting must emerge.

Defensively, Suigo’s lack of lateral quickness is a real concern. NBA teams will be smart enough to not do what Mega Basket did so often, which was to put Suigo in situations where he hedges/shows on pick-and-rolls — he’s just not going to be able to keep pace in any such scenarios in the NBA. Even excluding these scenarios, I think there’s reasonable cause for real concern that at 7-foot, 3-inches in shoes and 289 pounds, Suigo may be run off the floor defensively in the NBA.

Perhaps a team who runs a bit more zone could hide this weakness, but one-on-one it’s going to be difficult against fours who play as fives, and the more athletic fives in the league. A big, for example, such as Onyeka Okongwu would have no issue running rings around Suigo. Suigo has good moments blocking shots and contesting shots — these are aspects his elite size allows him to do quite well, but he struggles to shift defensively and is foul prone.

Suigo is going to require time to further develop, but you can certainly see the vision an NBA team may be enamored by: elite size, shooting potential, and a shot blocker. The road to get there is going to take time, but perhaps a team like Denver would be better suited to take such a gamble and by the time Nikola Jokic concludes his Nuggets-career.

Let’s take a look at what other draft experts/outlets have concluded in their own evaluations of Luigo Suigo.

Suigo is listed 32nd overall as part of ESPN’s ‘Best Available’ list, while ESPN’s mock draft projects Suigo at 39th overall. Sam Vecenie of The Athletic does not have Suigo mocked inside the top-60. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports mocks Suigo as high as 22nd overall to the Sixers, with this to add on Suigo:

As for this choice, finding a center to play behind Joel Embiid needs to be prioritized. Embiid simply cannot be trusted to stay on the floor. Suigo has said he wants to be the Italian Wemby and, at 7-foot-3 with passing feel and shooting touch, you can see why a teenager might put that out into the universe. Suigo lacks the handle and self-creation chops to ever be the best player on a team, but his dynamic skills as a passer, shooter, and lob threat layer cleanly on top of baseline center duties as a screener, finisher, and rim protector. Becoming the Italian Marc Gasol is a more realistic goal, and would be a dream fit alongside Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe for many years to come.

This type of range and team makes sense for Suigo; it really is an upside swing for a team who has a cornerstone center. The Sixers make more sense for this reason, so the projection of team certainly fits. We didn’t touch on passing as much; in the games I watched of Suigo I thought these moments were fleeting but there were a couple of instances where Suigo’s passing was intriguing. As regards lack of handle and self-creation, it’s just not realistic to expect a handle or prowess off the dribble, though there were a couple of flashes of Suigo putting the ball down on the floor and making plays. I don’t think this is a selection you make to be ‘the best player on a team.’ It’s a additive selection which you hope blossoms alongside your young talent.

O’Connor also listed his perception of Suigo’s strengths and weaknesses:

STRENGTHS

Interior finishing: He rolls hard in ball screens, has good hands for lobs in traffic, and even if he’s not able to finish with dunks or layups right at the rim, he displays fantastic touch on hook shots.

Offensive rebounding: He shows a real nose for the ball on the boards, skying over defenders to extend his arms and grab the ball at its apex. He averaged 2.1 offensive boards in under 20 minutes per game this season and displayed a great feel for going right back up with it, except for the occasional instances he’d bring it down. On defense, he boxes out and has equally strong instincts on the boards.

Playmaking feel: Suigo hits cutters from the elbows, whips skip passes out of the post, and patiently handles doubles before delivering the ball with either hand. At the next level he’ll be useful in handoffs since he can execute plays or adjust and find the second option. And if his shooting skill catches up, he becomes a major threat.

Perimeter skill: He made 34% of his catch-and-shoot 3s with Mega. He looks extremely comfortable back-pedaling behind the line into the corners and wings, and pick-and-pops at the top of the arc. Even though he moves slowly, he even has a bit of a handle to attack closeouts and get to the rim.

Defensive upside: He’s a quick processor as a defender with the size, length, and effort levels to someday become a tremendous paint protector. He takes good angles as a help defender, rotates with awareness, and takes satisfaction in getting stops.

Let’s pause here for a moment. All of this so far checks out based on what we’ve examined, minus the superlatives on playmaking. As O’Connor notes, Suigo does possess a good read on the defensive end and does see some plays develop in front of him and rotates accordingly; sometimes he’s just not quick enough to do anything about it. Let’s continue.

CONCERNS

Offensive rawness: As promising as his skill-set is, he’s still not yet a reliable shooter. He’s still not yet a dominant roller to the basket, in part because he doesn’t set strong screens. So while the path is there for him to become a great talent on offense, he has a long way to go.

Perimeter defense: He moves fluidly for his size, but his movements are all quite slow. He could struggle defending in space on switches, hedging pick-and-rolls, or even getting back down the floor to stop a break. He’ll need to get stronger while also getting quicker.

Defensive discipline: He reaches for dribbles and tries to block too many shots when he should just use his size to deter drivers from getting into the paint. For now, he looks like a foul magnet early in his NBA career.

‘Getting stronger while also getting quicker’ is going to be challenging already at 289 pounds. If Suigo is too slow to move effectively defensively, it’s going to be an uphill battle. He could develop a great shooting touch, and it may still not be enough to hang around in the NBA if he’s stuck in mud.

Kyle Mann of The Ringer projects Suigo 30th overall to the Dallas Mavericks. Mann had quite a bit to add on Suigo:

STRENGTHS

• Just turned 19 years old in late January and already very physically developed. Humongous presence in the paint at 7-foot-3, with a wingspan pushing 7-foot-6. Solid build in his upper and lower body. Could stand to define and add more muscle, but has wide legs and midsection, to the point that he can already dish out strong contact in the paint and on screens. Needs some runway to really hit full speed. Not a remarkable leaper, but with a path to jump, he can surprise with his ability to go up and get the ball on a lob.
• The optics of Suigo’s perimeter shooting are slightly out of sync with the results. He has a pretty impressively effortless shooting motion for a player his size that is close to one motion, with minimal dip toward his waist off the catch and a release point that’s well above his head. The arc of his ball is high, and he has a nice coordinated rhythm to his catch-and-shoot looks, with a soft follow-through. He clearly has touch. That said, he stopped just short of real consistency—he hit on 34.3 percent of his 70 catch-and-shoot attempts from 3 last season. But all in all, he doesn’t seem like he’ll be easily neglected by defenses. Seems like this is where a lot of the ambition in his game is rooted, because he looks more schooled and technically polished in the pick-and-pop game than anywhere else.
• Did well playing physically in the pick-and-roll and didn’t mind really establishing contact with his ball handler’s defender. Read the defense’s coverage response to the handler and chose his roller opportunities well. Huge target as a screener and difficult to navigate because of his solid build. Had a ton of roll gravity in the Baltic’s ABA League because he didn’t have many peers in terms of size. Has surprisingly soft hands when catching high or low passes and a good catch radius.
• His offensive game is largely uncomplicated in that he’s either catching and shooting or rolling to the rim for something easy. Has soft overhanded touch near the basket. Still posted an impressive 73.1 percentage at the rim.

An elite shooting figure at the rim as reported by Mann; 73% is nothing to sniff at. Let’s continue:

WEAKNESSES

• Can be a little spacey within the flow of the game. Will need to pay attention to more than one thing at a time, as the game will be much faster and more athletic in the NBA. Needs some time to learn how the power of his size and his positional wagering affect what players choose to do (or, more importantly, not do) in the paint. Can get jumpy toward drivers and chase a blocked shot or can get vertical prematurely and end up out of position, when in reality he could simply stunt toward players and dissuade them without creating an easy look for lurking offensive players cutting to the basket.
• We see only rare glimpses of self-creation at this point. Has brief stints of attacking one-on-one if he’s caught a roller pass and has to make a quick move. Will also reel off the occasional post-up or maybe a move off an offensive rebound. Probably doesn’t have to be a craft savant to survive inside but will need to sharpen a handful of basic moves.
• Looks like a coordinated athlete when he’s running at full speed in transition, but he’s not twitchy in the half court. His hips can be a bit lumbering in side-to-side shuttling situations, as well as when he’s flipping them and retreating back to his defensive assignment. Can get out over his skis against faster players in open space (most players his size do) or if he meets a ball handler at the level of a screen. Still learning what types of movements in relation to offensive players can put him in overextended and vulnerable positions. This isn’t a severe indictment so much as a likely indicator of his coverage capability. 
• Needs work owning his space and protecting the ball when he’s in traffic. Doesn’t always leverage that impressive frame of his by playing through the chest of the defender or powering through arms to finish. Would at times leave his feet too early from outside the restricted area and make himself smaller and easier to contest.
• It’s hard to know exactly what to make of these colossal traditional 5s who have modern skill sets. Recent success stories can skew expectations. There could be a splash of “look at what Aday Mara just became” powering the interest in Suigo. He’s said that he’d like to be the “Italian Wemby,” but there just aren’t many players at that height who can sit down and mirror offensive players on the ball who are a foot shorter than them. “Italian Clingan” might be more attainable? In all likelihood, selecting Suigo at this stage would be a two- or three-year developmental bet, not unlike the one that the Blazers made by selecting Yang Hansen 16th in 2025. Overall, I think he will need to be taken by an organization with a strong developmental track record, but there are raw materials to mine.

Mann concludes by comparing Suigo’s ideal developmental trajectory to that of Luke Kornet:

Suigo is a bit of a throwback, but not in the way you’d expect. The NIL era of college basketball has changed scouting dynamics quite a bit. No need for a plane ticket: Young and talented international prospects are coming over and playing in the NCAA in droves. Suigo could very well follow that path, but there’s a lot of interest in bigs at the tail end of the first round and in the early second round, and he could be in line to capitalize. The massive Italian teenager spent the past year in Serbia playing for Mega, which has been an international prospect factory over the past decade-plus. Suigo boasts impressive mobility for a player his size and is eager to hoist shots from deep. It wouldn’t be a shock to see him follow Luke Kornet’s trajectory in the league, starting off as a stretch 5 before becoming a more classic at-rim finisher and rim protector as he navigates the paint with more nuance. His numbers don’t quite bear that potential out yet, but there are flashes of playmaking that teams might be keen to develop. His movement skills, at his size, scream first-round flyer, even if his passing and perimeter competencies are largely theoretical at this point. 

This type of trajectory would be an enormous success for both Suigo and the team who makes the selection, but everyone would appear to be in agreement: it is going to take time to see any potential return on Luigi Suigo, but if Suigo can improve his mobility defensively, develop his three-point shot, and maintain and improve his foundation inside the arc (pick-and-roll, lobs, offensive rebounding), then it is possible Luigi Suigo may prove a steal near the end of the first-round.

Throughout the Western Conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs hoped that Victor Wembanyama could work enough magic while he was on the court to make up for the Oklahoma City Thunder annihilating them while he was off of it. Late in Game 7 on Saturday night, the Thunder must have been licking their chops. Wembanyama picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. The Spurs led by six at the next break in play, a lead that could disappear in minutes with Wembanyama’s backup, Luke Kornet, on the floor. But there was no choice – Wembanyama checked out rather than risk fouling out.

Immediately, Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein picked off a pass and bolted down the floor to lay the ball in. That would have cut the Spurs’ lead to four, but more importantly may well have set into motion a trend we had seen throughout the series: When Wembanyama sits, the Thunder feast.

Instead, Kornet – a competent but limited player – soared into the air with Hartenstein and blocked the ball into the backboard with an almighty thud. The Spurs recovered the rebound, and Stephon Castle’s short jumper ballooned San Antonio’s lead to eight. “Four-point swing – that might be the play of the game right there,” Reggie Miller said on the broadcast.

After a Thunder turnover, Kornet made way for Wembanyama. Kornet’s fourth-quarter stint lasted just 54 seconds, but he’d done his job. Then the Spurs’ talented, youthful core did theirs to complete a 111-103 win that proved experience isn’t always crucial in the NBA playoffs.

Though the Spurs and Thunder are headlined by extraordinary stars in Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, playoff basketball is about depth. For most of the series, the Thunder won that battle. Their superb bench sometimes outscored their starters. Such is the wealth of talent in the Thunder roster that their second-best player, Jalen Williams, and a vital offensive engine, Ajay Mitchell, sat out games with injuries, and at times they were barely missed. But in Game 7, only Gilgeous-Alexander was on song. He outscored the rest of the Thunder’s starters on his own, 35-31. By the fourth quarter, he was exhausted. The Thunder got 14 fourth-quarter points from Cason Wallace, but nobody else could meaningfully chip in. They were undone by what is usually their biggest strength.

Related: Spurs beat reigning champions Thunder in Game 7 to set up NBA finals date with Knicks

The Spurs, in contrast, got vital contributions from everybody: Kornet’s block. Keldon Johnson hit two three-pointers. Dylan Harper took a long three over Gilgeous-Alexander, ill-advised at first glance, and nailed it. De’Aaron Fox splashed a tricky three-pointer. So did Julian Champagnie, who made six of 10 for the game after struggling to find his shot for most of the series. Wembanyama played the final few minutes foul-free; with his teammates lightening his burden, he never really had to take a risk.

Big picture, it’s shocking to see the defending champions eliminated. Oklahoma City won 24 of their first 25 games this season – even without Williams – and there were murmurs that the NBA should just give them the trophy already. The Spurs weren’t even considered contenders at first, but three wins over the Thunder in December corrected that belief and revealed cracks in the defending champions. This result is what those games suggested was possible.

You could still make the case that, fully healthy, the Thunder are the best team in the league. Gilgeous-Alexander was generally poor this series; and when he finally stepped up in Game 7, his teammates regressed. Chet Holmgren was invisible enough to make ghosts jealous; he’ll hope that invisibility lasts so he can evade the media pile-on that’s sure to come. And despite all that, the Spurs had to win a tight, tricky Game 7 on the road to win this series. The Thunder’s defense remains the gold standard, a whirling mass of swatting hands and waving arms that ventures right up to the line of what will draw a referee’s whistle and no further. They will be back next season, probably healthier and better.

Many will be glad to see them depart the playoffs. Gilgeous-Alexander’s proficiency for drawing fouls has never been popular, but fans’ distaste for his methods has amplified this season. ESPN’s Jay Williams did a segment on Gilgeous-Alexander’s habit of falling over in the pursuit of fouls. Earlier in the series, Hartenstein pulled Castle’s hair under the basket, which somehow went unpunished. Other teams try to manipulate foul calls, but none as consistently, shamelessly, precisely, annoyingly, or successfully as the Thunder. They play effective, unpopular basketball, and even if everyone on Earth teamed up to chant “FLOPPER!” at them they would still carry on with their tactics.

But there’s no denying their greatness. They came closer to repeating as champions than anybody since the peak Golden State Warriors. Wonderful basketball teams in the 2025 Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers have tried and failed to beat the Thunder in a Game 7. The narrative of the Spurs-Thunder rivalry was powered by Wembanyama’s evident disdain for Holmgren, his craving for Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP award. If winning the championship is the Spurs’ dream, beating the Oklahoma City juggernaut was their desire.

When the buzzer sounded, Wembanyama shouted and cried, biting his fist like he wanted to eat it, and clawing at his head like it was too small to contain the ensuing burst of joy. The New York Knicks are up next in the NBA finals. They’re better rested than the Spurs, did well against them in the regular season, and are on an 11-game winning streak. But right now, with the embers of Game 7 still warm, it’s hard to imagine anything in the finals that could matter more than this.

Although the heartbreaking loss in game 7 was a sad way to end the season, it’s hard to find a Raptors fan that isn’t full of hope for next season. Already they outperformed in almost every metric, they clinched the playoffs (a feat that hasn’t been achieved since 2022) and phenomenal performances from the younger players on the roster has made everyone wonder what we could be in another year or two.

Some players come into the league and are incredible immediately, but teams are built around the guys who come in and work hard and do their job on the court. You need superstars, but you also need a deep bench that can contribute and win the minutes where they are on the court.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the bench, their year, and one thing we’d like them to work on over the summer that will take them to the next level as a contributor to this team.

Jamal Shead

This season: 6.6 points || 1.7 rebounds || 5.4 assists || 36.7 FG%

While the numbers aren’t overwhelming, it’s undeniable that he’s played a big role on the team this year. Throughout the year, many fans drew comparisons with Kyle Lowry (maybe a tad prematurely, but I like the confidence). His “Dawg” mentality, the effort on both ends of the court, and his willingness to do any job have all raised his stock.

While there weren’t clear trends over the course of the season, as a starter, there’s significant jumps in virtually every stat: 11.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 7.5 apg, 39.6% FG. 

His biggest assets are currently his gritty defence, facilitation for everyone else on the court, and (when he’s hot) long range shooting. He is undeniably a passionate and intense player, but that’s everything that you want in a competitor. 

Where he could improve is developing a floater. He’s done a lot to get big men lobs and easy shots underneath, but at times, he doesn’t have the gravity to keep paint protectors on himself when he dives into the paint before distributing. If he can consistently score on push shots and floaters, that should open up more space for rollers and cutters with far less resistance because the defence will have to commit to one or the other.  

"EIGHT SECONDS! EIGHT SECONDS!"

Jamal Shead’s reaction to forcing a late-game 8-second violation in Game 4 vs. Cleveland is EVERYTHING.

Toronto seeks a 3-2 lead tonight at 7:30pm/et on ESPN 🔥

NBA Playoffs presented by @Googlepic.twitter.com/Ced1Vb0MHE

— NBA (@NBA) April 29, 2026

Collin Murray-Boyles

This season: 8.5 points || 5.0 rebounds || 1.9 assists || 57.9 FG%

Despite being only 6’7”, his strength and athleticism allows him to play much bigger than he is. He spent minutes playing as a center, bringing us some of the most exciting, rim-rocking dunks of the season. It also allowed him to defend centers much larger than him and hold his own. In the playoffs, he brought us exciting, fearless rim protection that will only get better as he ages.  

One of the most obvious skills he demonstrated throughout the season was his ability to read rebounds. Averaging almost as many offensive as defensive rebounds per game, he offered Toronto a myriad of second chance opportunities through sheer will. He has the intensity and the mindset to be a difference maker which he has already been doing in his first NBA season.

Offensively, he was able to be a lob threat, operate in screen and roll actions, and later on, developed a midrange game that allowed him to capitalize if defenses slacked off of him.

He’s already earning well-deserved accolades including the nod to attend the NBA Rising Stars game and received an All-Rookie Second Team selection. 

Where he could improve is shooting. It’s hard to ask someone to be everything, but teams like the Spurs and the Nuggets that are able to run pick and pop actions capitalize on a center that can score from anywhere on the floor. Two thirds of his shots this season came from within a few feet of the basket. If he can extend that, even to the edges of the paint, that can create more options for everyone on the court. 

COLLIN MURRAY-BOYLES BLOCKS EVAN MOBLEY. pic.twitter.com/Yr6dmC1OIw

— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) April 30, 2026

Ja’KobeWalter

This season: 7.5 points || 2.6 rebounds || 1.8 assists || 44.6 FG%

Sometimes people expect a sophomore slump. Some people might even try to frame this season as a slump since across the board, he averaged fewer points, assists, and rebounds than last season. If you look further, you’ll see jumps in shooting efficiency. His FG% jumped over 4% to 44.6%, and he shot 40.9% from long range, a 6% increase from the previous season. 

With the health of Ingram and more bodies on the court, he touched the ball a lot less. A learning curve that not everyone would master, he struggled early on in October and November, but by April, he was averaging 10/4/2 and shooting 50% from the field in that calendar month. 

While the numbers might not be overwhelming, all we should see is the leaps he made throughout the season, his effort and development in getting better and responding to tough games, and the aspect of how his game is developing. He has shown the ability to score from all over the floor, with potential to be a consistent, talented 3-level scorer. 

What I would love to see from him this summer is just getting shots up. The only way to build consistency and confidence is to continue to work on the craft, and if he can put April numbers up all season long, he could be one of the most valuable bench players on the team. 

JA’KOBE ON FIRE 🔥 13 PTS | 3/4 FROM 3 pic.twitter.com/72K5GdyfOX

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 5, 2026

GradeyDick

This season: 6.0 points || 1.9 rebounds || 0.7 assists 

Going from starting every night and playing 30 minutes per game to a single start and 14 minutes per game would be jarring for any player. For Gradey, this has been a tough year. The overall health of the team, new lineups, and early struggles saw him pushed deeper down the bench as the season progressed. Ultimately though, how he responds to this season will be the biggest determiner of his future on the team and in the league.

We’ve seen flashes of his ability as a shooter, but the shadow of Jamison Battle is looming. He wasn’t able to do much of what we’d expect and the lack of minutes meant that he wasn’t able to work out any of his issues on the court. In the past he’s struggled but a stint in the G-League and some opportunity to just shoot the ball helped him get into rhythm. 

It’s not time to sell stock in him yet though. He belongs in the league. He had his first career double-double this season, which will be a silver lining he will have to focus on.

What he needs to work on this summer is his long range shooting. What earned Battle minutes over him consistently was when Gradey got his chance, he wasn’t able to convert. He needs to touch the floor and knock down those floor-spacing shots. His defence could also use some help, which would help him stay on the floor longer to work out some of his shooting yips. 

Touggggh lay from @gradey_dick 💥 pic.twitter.com/p6YSVk6qdc

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) January 24, 2026

Sandro Mamukelashvili

This season: 11.2 points || 5 rebounds || 2 assists || 52.3 FG%

Being behind Lopez and Portis in Milwaukee, he never had the opportunity to show what he was truly capable of in his first two seasons. San Antonio was ushering in the Wemby era, so they didn’t have room for him either. 

Lucky for Toronto. Mamu has exceeded expectations consistently.

His physicality and strength allowed him to be a presence in the paint at both ends of the court. His long range shooting provided Toronto with some floor-spacing that they don’t have with Poeltl. He came out night after night and kept up with some of the best bigs in the league and held his own. 

The biggest question is if he will be back. Mamu has a player option next year to the tune of 2.8 million, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he opted out in search of more money with the work he put in this year. 

The one thing he could work on is decision making. At certain junctures throughout the season, the intensity of a game would lead him to force shots, often through multiple defenders and come up empty. While it didn’t always cost them the game, ultimately every possession matters and I’m sure the Raptors would like to have some of them back. Passing out or developing more of an ability to draw fouls in the paint would all be beneficial for him and (hopefully) Toronto next year.

MAMU DUNK 😮‍🔥 pic.twitter.com/4HIPsvEBEQ

— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) April 20, 2026

Jamison Battle

This season: 3.1 points || 1.5 rebounds || 0.4 assists || 51 FG%

Those numbers will not jump off the page at you. In fact, saying he logged solid playing minutes in a series-clinching game wouldn’t be the conclusion you would draw. And yet, here he is. 

He didn’t get a ton of opportunities throughout the course of the season, but when he did, his shooting felt more like a guarantee than a question. One of his most thrilling games was a 20 point performance in which he remained perfect from the field (7 for 7) followed up by a 14-point (5 for 5) night in game two of the playoffs. 

He definitely earned his place on the team and the opportunity to prove himself further. His long-range shooting can be a crucial piece of the Raptors’ offence and when he is run off the line, he’s shown a solid mid-range game as well.

Defence should be the focus of his offseason. He committed a fair amount of personal fouls, often by trailing his mark. He would be a target for the other team at times which might send him to the bench if he’s giving up more than he’s getting offensively. Adding more defensive tools to his toolchest could help him stay on the floor to make the big shots when needed.

ANOTHER ONE!

JAMISON BATTLE (14 PTS, 4-4 3PM) IS PUTTING ON A SHOOTING CLINIC. https://t.co/Bh971cDBSBpic.twitter.com/Ek5t6OzpTv

— NBA (@NBA) April 24, 2026

The Rest of the Bench

While there’s plenty of future potential, Mogbo, Hepburn, and Martin are probably not ready yet. They’ve all shown flashes, but the jump to the NBA is a challenging one, and these guys have their work cut out for them. I’d imagine any and all of them will probably spend next year working on their game in the G-league. 

Temple has been the resident veteran and while he doesn’t log many minutes, Toronto has kept him around for a reason. A steadying voice with encouragement and wisdom. It’s unclear if he’ll be back next year or that will fall to a guy like Ingram, but his presence has been an asset. He’s always on the bench pointing and coaching everyone on how to grow.

Trayce Jackson-Davis was underwhelming. I would be surprised if Toronto picks up the option as he gradually fell out of the lineup altogether outside of garbage time. 

Lawson has had probably the best season out of the deep bench, earning his way to a standard NBA contract. While the future is uncertain, the growth he has shown over the course of the season and his ability to pick himself back up after being passed over by multiple teams shows his unwavering effort. He keeps showing up, doing what he needs to do, and hoping it will continue to earn him a spot on the roster. Obviously Toronto has faith in him, or he wouldn’t be on the court in an elimination game. Hopefully he’s back next year.

While we have a couple months, free agency, the draft, summer league, and a whole bunch of possible changes, what Toronto is building is encouraging. There is a lot of young talent with a lot of heart on this team that has what it takes to contribute on this team in the coming years. Hopefully a couple months of work can help bring them to the next level.

Rutgers never got the chance to see Dylan Harper play in the tournament but it turns out that he is pretty good in that format.

The former Rutgers star is off to the NBA Finals after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals on Saturday night.

Harper played 27 minutes in this game finishing with 12 points and seven rebounds on 5-for-8 from the field. He averaged 14.7 points per game in the conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Game 1 of the WCF, he made an immediate impact with 24 points, six rebounds, and seven steals in a double-overtime win.

Harper averaged 12 points in 26.3 minutes per game, proving to be a key component off the bench. Now, the New Jersey native will get a chance to face the New York Knicks, and fellow Garden State star Karl-Anthony Towns, in the NBA Finals.

New Jersey is the place where Harper made his name at Don Bosco High School. A career that featured over 1,600 points came to an end with a 19-game winning streak and a state championship.

Harper committed to Rutgers, joining Ace Bailey, in what was a historic recruiting class. The team did not live up to the hype as it went 15-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament.

Harper dominated its way to a state championship in high school and is now a key rotation piece for a Spurs team that is returning to the NBA Finals.

So, Rutgers fans, how did this team miss the tournament two years ago?

That is a question that you will have to live with, especially with the current state of the team. Nonetheless, Rutgers will be represented in this year’s NBA Finals and that is not something that can be said every year.

The Bucks are expected to be at the center of the trade universe with Giannis Antetokounmpo possibly looking to move on from Milwaukee. While speculation about his future is rampant, the Bucks do—believe it or not—have the option to keep The Greek Freak if he wants to give it another go and try to win a championship. In order for Giannis to stay, though, the Bucks likely need to prove that they can compete for a title, so changes will have to be made from this year’s team.

To that end, CBS Sports contributor Sam Quinn listed the Bucks as a potential destination for Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, who could also be on his way out of the Lone Star State this summer: “The widespread presumption is that Milwaukee will ultimately trade Giannis Antetokounmpo, but they could technically go the other way. They have three first-round picks to trade, including no. 10 overall this year. Maybe an aggressive push for Irving compels Antetokounmpo to extend,” Quinn wrote.

Pros to trading for Irving

The hardest part of winning a championship is getting a superstar who can lead you there. The Bucks already have that taken care of with Antetokounmpo on the roster, but the team needs more to get back into the postseason conversation. Adding Irving and pairing him with Giannis gives the Bucks a great chance to return to relevancy in the Eastern Conference.

If the Bucks could find a way to trade for Irving without giving up the no. 10 overall pick, that would be the ideal scenario. They could send future first-round picks—they control their own from 2031 to 2033—and matching salary, which would likely include Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis, in order to make it happen. While that deal sacrifices some of Milwaukee’s future draft capital, it allows them to add a rookie and a win-now point guard who can elevate everybody’s game on the court.

Cons to trading For Irving

Irving is coming off a torn ACL and did not play with the Mavericks this past season. He is well into his 30s and nearing the twilight of his career, having just turned 34. That’s a year older than Damian Lillard was when Milwaukee traded for him in 2023. While he is a talented player, it’s hard to imagine the Bucks going from a 32-50 squad to a surefire title contender just by acquiring him. Irving can only do so much by coming on board. On top of that, would they be willing to trade future picks that could help them when Antetokounmpo has either left or is in his late 30s just to get another short-term solution in Irving?

The cost-benefit analysis the Bucks have to do is tricky, but if they’re willing do what it takes to keep Giannis, this could accomplish that.

You couldn’t have written it any better.

Knicks vs. Spurs.

Smells like 1999 revenge.

Your Finals schedule pic.twitter.com/ityErZeGWP

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 31, 2026

Mike Brown

On Leon Rose and James Dolan building the Knicks into a Finals team:

“Leon and his staff have done a freakin’ fantastic, fantastic job. I can even take it a step further — it doesn’t happen if Mr. Dolan wants to keep his hands in his pocket and not allow Leon to go do his work.”

On Jay Wright’s influence on the Villanova players and how it benefits the Knicks:

“Man, you can tell Coach Wright has instilled a lot of great qualities in all of these guys. They’re selfless. They all have a competitive spirit. They’re all about the right stuff, and they’re great human beings to be around. So I’m sure it wasn’t just Coach Wright who helped raise them, but to be able to play for him and have that continue at the highest level while competing for championships in college definitely made my job easier. When you have guys like that and those guys are the leaders of your team, we were talking about all of them, and then it rubs off on everybody else, and it just makes for a fantastic environment to be a part of.”

On maintaining composure and connectivity during scoring runs:

“There are maybe times when you’re open during those runs and somebody misses you and you can’t get pissed, because if you get pissed, now your emotions and your energy are someplace else or focused on something else as opposed to what you need to do defensively and all that other stuff.”

On the unpredictability of momentum in games:

“Anything and everything out of the ordinary can happen [during runs], and you gotta rely on those intangibles to make sure you stay locked in.”

KAT arrives to his 1st game as a Knick in a 1999 Finals shirt pic.twitter.com/veWVsHfkxz

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) October 6, 2024

Karl-Anthony Towns

On the team’s growth since last season:

“Anytime you’re playing NBA basketball, it’s difficult to win. For us, it’s been a process. When [my] trade happened, obviously things happened quick and success came pretty quick, but it was not the success that we envisioned. I’m glad that this year, we’re seeing ourselves start to mature and round out what the vision was from day one.”

On extending scoring runs during the playoffs:

“It’s great when you can kinda have those moments in the game where everything’s clicking, and I think what’s great about us and what this run has shown is that when we get on those runs, we continue to extend those runs for a long period of time. So our ability to stay focused and stay in that zone has helped us tremendously in this playoff, and it’s a lot of the reason why we’re sitting here in this chair today talking about NBA Finals.”

On trusting the full roster entering the Finals amid the Mitch concerns:

“Whatever the picture ends up being, us having those trials and tribulations for the last two years where things weren’t looking good — just like at the end of December with the 2-9, 11-game stretch. It shows that we have resilience and we’ll go out there and we trust everyone in this locker room. And if this playoff run has shown anything, I feel, to the fans and the media, one through 15 can go out there, put a Knicks jersey on and get the job done. And we truly believe in that. So this is a situation that we’ve garnered enough experience and enough trust in each other that whatever the picture ends up being when we step on that court Wednesday, we feel comfortable.”

the bootleg knicks shirt sellers made it to citi field and i had to cop 🔥 better than anything fanatics ever made pic.twitter.com/WgE18MUNu1

— krissy🍀 (@krissyy_elyse) May 30, 2026

Jalen Brunson

On Jay Wright’s emphasis on always having the right attitude at Villanova:

“One thing he always [stressed], it’s plastered on every wall, every shirt, the inside of our jerseys, everything, was attitude. Controlling your attitude. I don’t really say that as much as I used to, but I think my kind of twist on it is being able to control what you can control. Controlling your attitude, controlling your effort, those are the things you can control, and that’s something he said every day. That’s how we ended huddles, that’s how we started games, practices. It’s kind of what his motto was, and once we believed in it, everything became easier.”

the footage of the knicks in the lockerroom after making the finals i have tears in my eyes pic.twitter.com/xyp2VTSu0w

— sports live tweeter yadira (@jonmoxIeys) May 31, 2026

Jose Alvarado

On his plans for the parade if the Knicks win the title:

“If we win, I’m gonna be drunk for eight days. I’m gonna let y’all know right now.”

On never expecting to play for the Knicks:

“Nah, nah, I didn’t really think of that. I didn’t think none of this. I didn’t think I was going to be playing for the Knicks.”

Mitchell Robinson and Luke Kornet juggling, playing golf and hitting wiffle balls as Knicks teammates in 2019.

Now, they must play against each other in the NBA Finals. 😢 pic.twitter.com/RH79c0pHBN

— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) May 31, 2026

Mitchell Robinson

On thanking supporters after his injury came to light:

“I can’t thank you guys enough for the love and support most of you bring especially at a time like this in my life. It makes everything I’m fighting for 100x easier to deal with.”

On his haters:

“The ones that want to see me down and hurt all I gotta say for you is f–k you. And last the ones that say they love and care about me but can’t be there for me when I need them but I’m always there when they need me god will get you.”

Kyrie "The Knicks making the Finals is OD…Knicks fans gonna go bonkers man. Its gonna be one of those ones…They done made it to the NBA Finals, done earned their ticket…I'm excited to watch them too…Mike Brown leading the helm, Jalen Brunson great PG…great pieces around him" pic.twitter.com/UVmelSX9Fk

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 30, 2026

Kyrie Irving

On the Knicks reaching the NBA Finals and their fanbase bringing da ruckus:

“The Knicks making the Finals is OD… a lot of those Knicks fans in New York are gonna go bonkers, man. It’s gonna be one of those ones. You just gotta gear up for it if you’re on the East Coast, man. They done made it to the NBA Finals, they done earned their ticket, they did everything that they could in the regular season to prepare.”

"I wanna win so bad. It's like my life depends on it."

– Victor Wembanyama pic.twitter.com/1o6Swtidwo

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 31, 2026

Victor Wembanyama

On having a chance to win the NBA championship:

“Winning the Larry O’Brien [trophy], it’s a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a chance, tangible chance at winning it, realizing a dream, you know — it’s a chance. It’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s gonna happen again. The day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s gonna be an amazing day of realization of the dream. It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life. I want to win so bad. It’s like my life depends on it.”

On realizing a childhood dream after reaching the Finals:

“Realizing that some part of a childhood dream is going to come true. Even though I’m still hungry for one more, this feeling is — I can’t explain it. It’s so powerful.”

"That's every kid's dream"

Julian Champagnie, who was born in New York City and played college basketball at St. John's, on playing in the NBA Finals at MSG: pic.twitter.com/UHJhjhJl57

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 31, 2026

Julian Champagnie

On thinking his NBA career might be over after being waived:

“I thought it was over. I ain’t gonna lie to you. We’re always told how small the window is to get into the league, stay there, and make a career for yourself. Getting waived with no warning, no nothing, explanation or anything, it was tough. It was tough for a 23-year-old kid trying to go out there and chase my dreams, telling myself, ‘You can do this.’”

On landing in San Antonio and finding his role:

“My agent told me it could be anywhere. Obviously, it ended up being San Antonio. I put my head down and decided to make it work… And find that spot on the team. Just fit in where I can. It’s been treating me good so far.”

On gratitude toward the Spurs organization:

“I love my teammates, I love the coaching staff, and everybody in the organization. It’s a great place to be, and there’s no better place that I could be in. Big, big shout out to the San Antonio Spurs taking an opportunity for a kid from Brooklyn.”

On returning to Madison Square Garden for the Finals:

“That’s every kid’s dream, that’s every kid’s dream. I remember my first time actually playing in The Garden, I was at St. John’s, and I was just like in awe of how much greatness has gone through there and what that means to a kid from the city. Being that now we get to go play them for a championship? That’s personal, that’s personal. I get to go home. Obviously, to see family. I get to play in front of a lot of my family. My family hasn’t come to no games yet, I’ve been keeping it strictly basketball right now. When the Knicks made the championship, I tell them, I said, ‘When we get this done, you guys can come to every game if you want to, so what.’ It’s up the block, I’ve passed by there so many times, I’ve played there so many times. Being able to go back there and compete for a championship? There’s no better feeling, no better feeling.”

On not being worried about Knicks fans traveling:

“I don’t think we’re too worried about the fans. Obviously, me being from New York, I know how they get. So there’s a little bit of that in me. I don’t think we’re too worried about their fans. We have great fans down in San Antonio. I’m 100 percent sure that the same way Knicks fans will travel, San Antonio fans will travel. So I’m not too worried about fans and stuff like that, we’re gonna make sure it gets done.”

"I've been to so many Knicks playoff games, Knicks games – I live 25, 30 minutes from the arena. I know there's going to be a whole lot of tickets I'll be asked for."

Dylan Harper on growing up a Knicks fan and now facing them in the NBA Finals: pic.twitter.com/XzlJJTTsrf

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) May 31, 2026

Dylan Harper

On playing the Knicks in the NBA Finals at The Garden:

“It’s going to be a fun one. I think they kind of got us in the [NBA] Cup, like you said, got us when we went there. We pulled out a close one at home. I think for us it comes down to doubling down on what we’re good at… I feel like it’s a great matchup. For me, my dream has been always to play in The Garden in the NBA Finals and I get to do that my first year. I’m not gonna take nothing for granted.”

On the Finals matchup against New York feeling like a dream come true:

“I’ve been to so many Knicks playoff games, Knicks games. I live 25-30 minutes from the arena. I know there’s going to be a whole lot of tickets I’ll be asked for, but my phone’s going to be off for that. It’s a dream come true, it’s a blessing. It’s kind of where I’ve always wanted to play at for the Finals. I think that if you would have told this last year, I would have told you you’re crazy. I think that you kind of go through what you go through to get to moments like this. I’ve kind of just been steadying, just wanting wants best for me.”

Mike Breen tells The Post about what sets Jalen Brunson apart – and the 'tremendous challenges' that await Knicks in NBA Finals https://t.co/zKqOvoxbSApic.twitter.com/LKxX2mMte2

— New York Post (@nypost) May 30, 2026

Mike Breen

On why New York loves the Knicks:

“It’s always been a basketball town. This is why I fell in love with basketball, and I’m certain a lot of Knicks fans, too. There’s just something about the team aspect of the sport. Five players working together. The whole is better than the sum of its parts — I’ve always loved that phrase. And this Knicks team is exactly that. And there’s just something special about that building, whether you’re there watching or you’re watching at home. There’s an electricity to that place that’s just truly amazing. … And I think this particular Knicks team, because there were so many years of darkness, that to feel this way about a team, knowing that they have a legitimate shot of winning a championship, these fans have been just so hungry for so many years and stayed loyal despite that, they just feel like they’re being rewarded. The electricity in the city about them and the vibe in the city about ’em is crazy. It’s incredible the joy that the Knicks fans have. And the fact that all three games on the road that they clinched, in Atlanta, in Philadelphia, in Cleveland, the thousands of Knicks fans at each of those games, shows you how much they care and how long they’ve waited for a team like this to root for.”

He has retired literally a decade later than this clip had surfaced pic.twitter.com/vIDRUT3OARhttps://t.co/3IG8iv8Q2i

— OLDSKOOLBBALL (@oldskoolbballx) May 29, 2026

One of our favorite things about the NBA Draft is the skullduggery, machinations, and positively Machiavellian manipulation that goes on as people try to up or downgrade prospects in order to get the guy they really want.

Whisper campaigns get started about a prospect who supposedly had a bad attitude during a workout, or rumors that he’s not really that athletic, or maybe that he’s just overrated.

It happens just about every year.

So what’s going on with Cameron Boozer?

That’s hard to tell.

We do know that Oklahoma City would apparently like to bundle their #12 and #17 picks, and perhaps some of their future draft picks, to move up to get Boozer.

So far, the general consensus is that BYU’s AJ Dybantsa has to go first to Washington, and that Kansas’s Darryn Peterson should go second to Utah, with Boozer most likely going to Memphis at #3 and UNC’s Caleb Wilson to Chicago at #4.

Well, slow it down there, buckaroo. It may not happen that way at all.

Jonathon Givony, who has excellent contacts in the NBA, and who talks to a lot of people who are really enamored with analytics, says most front offices really feel like Boozer should go #1. Here’s what he said about the former Duke star:

“If you talk to the analytics people in NBA front offices, who have a lot of influence, 100% of them have Cam Boozer at number one at the top of their draft model. That’s not just because of what he did in college, where he was the most productive player in college basketball… but also dating back to what he did in high school, as well as at the FIBA level. Cam Boozer has been the best player in every setting that he’s competed on since he was 14 years old. And that goes a long way for the analytics models.

“I like [the Jokic] comp just because of the passing ability. That’s really what separates Cam Boozer, is his feel for the game, he’s absolutely exceptional. Defensively, off the ball, he’s elite, he’s a great rebounder, and even though he’s not a great athlete, he’s just first to every loose ball, his processing speed and reaction time… We saw Duke use him as a point guard at times… Teams that are drafting him at 1 and 2 are giving him a very hard look in this draft, even though that might not be the public sentiment.”

One of the nicer side effects if that comes to pass is that would probably bump Dybantsa down to #2. He’s made it clear that he likes the state of Utah, and his family now lives there, so for him, that would work out perfectly.

Of course, if it looks like Boozer is going first, that would put a lot more pressure on the Thunder to come up with a sufficiently seductive trade package to get Washington to agree. However, OKC has two first-round picks this year, as discussed, and a total of about 10, counting future drafts. They also have 12 second-round picks to work with.

So if they decide Boozer is worth it, they have draft capital to burn.

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The San Antonio Spurs will take on the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals.

It will be a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, where the Spurs beat the Knicks 4-1. It was the Spurs' first championship and New York’s last finals appearance.

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs advanced to the finals after winning the Western Conference Finals in Game 7 on Saturday, May 30.

Wembanyama led the way with 20+ points in each of the seven games against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It will be the Western Conference Finals MVP’s first trip to the NBA playoffs, following a season in which the projection of his career was in jeopardy after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, a condition that involves blood clots.

It will also be Jalen Brunson's first finals appearance. Brunson averaged 26 points and 6.8 assists for the Knicks this season.

The Spurs and the Knicks played a two-game series during the regular season, with each team winning a game.

Here's who has the edge in the NBA Finals series:

Backcourt

The Knicks will have the advantage in the backcourt because of Jalen Brunson until proven otherwise. The Spurs’ backcourt, led by Stephon Castle and veteran De'Aaron Fox, did show they have the defensive mindset and scheme to stop a player of Brunson’s caliber, after leaving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back league MVP, frustrated at times during the Western Conference Finals. 

Edge: Knicks

Frontcourt

Victor Wembanyama presents a problem for any team in the league because of his length and playmaking ability. The Western Conference Final MVP has averaged 23.2 points and 10.8 rebounds in 17 games during this postseason.

Karl Anthony-Towns leads a talented backcourt for the Knicks that will have the opportunity to cause problems for Wemby and the Spurs. KAT has averaged 16.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists for New York in the 14 postseason games.

Edge: Spurs

Bench

The Knicks have several complementary players coming off the bench. Josh Hart is a versatile rotation player in the frontcourt who has displayed the ability to play with physicality on defense and serve as a solid rebounder. Mitchell Robinson has a broken finger but still expects to play in the finals. He serves as another quality reserve off the bench that can serve as a rim protector and rebounder for the Knicks' interior defense.

Keldon Johnson is the primary reserve for San Antonio, serving as a versatile wing when his number is called. Dylan Harper may only be a rookie, but he has really stepped up when needed for the Spurs in the postseason. He's proven he can score and be a playmaker for his team when he has the ball in his hands.

Edge: Knicks

Coaching

Knicks coach Mike Brown has the advantage in finals experience. Brown led LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA finals against the Spurs in 2007. He also spent time as an assistant coach for two championship teams. He won three titles under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors and another in 2003 under Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. It will be the first finals appearance for Mitch Johnson as a head coach.

Edge: Knicks

X-Factors

It’s hard to ignore what impact Robinson can have on the Knicks when he is healthy. Robinson has great size and a defensive presence that could prove to be valuable. He can control the paint and secure offensive rebounds, which may prove to be helpful when the Spurs have Wemby on the floor. Julian Champagnie's supplementary scoring has proven to be important during the postseason. He played a key role in the Spurs' Game 7 victory over the Thunder with 20 points and six rebounds.

Edge: Knicks

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Spurs vs Knicks: Who has the edge in 2026 NBA Finals?

It’s here.

After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in an uncompetitive Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks have reached a place they have not been in 27 years. A long journey has resulted in entire generations of Knicks fans being able to experience something new.

But it certainly won’t be easy. A seven-game war out west for the right to play the ‘Bockers concluded on Saturday night in OKC, and the 2026 NBA Finals are set.

It’s the No. 3-seeded New York Knicks (53-29) against the No. 2-seeded San Antonio Spurs (62-20) for the right to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy in a rematch of both the 1999 NBA Finals and the NBA Cup. Is there anything better?

Season Recap

You know how the Knicks’ season has gone. After all, you’re reading this on a Knicks site, but just to sum it up.

After firing Tom Thibodeau, engaging in a long coaching search, and keying in on Mike Brown, the Knicks mostly ran back the same team, albeit with new faces Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, while drafting Mo Diawara. It was supposed to be a deeper, offensive powerhouse, and, for the most part, it was. The Knicks started 23-9 and even got some hardware along the way, beating the Spurs in the NBA Cup Final in December. Everything was coming up New York as 2025 turned into 2026.

And then everything fell apart. Starting with a New Year’s Eve collapse in San Antonio, the Knicks lost nine of their next 11 games, capped off by a terrible effort on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at MSG against the tanking Mavs. The sky was falling, we had podcasters saying he couldn’t wait to blow up this core, we had loud calls for Mike Brown’s job, the defense was abhorrently bad, and the season was in a tailspin.

Then, they mollywhopped the Nets by 54 and everything calmed down. After going from 23-9 to 25-18, the Knicks won 28 of their final 39 games, powered by the NBA’s second-best defense over the final 2.5 months of the season. They swapped the disappointing Yabusele for Jose Alvarado and finished the season strong.

After struggling through three games with the feisty Hawks, something clicked in the heads of every coach and player on the roster. The last 11 games have seen a level of dominance so historic that they’ve broken every single point differential record imaginable. They obliterated the Hawks in the final three games, swept and demoralized the worn-down Sixers, and then broke the Cavaliers after a 22-point Game 1 comeback en route to a sweep to advance to their first NBA Finals in 27 years.

After taking a decent step forward in 2024-25 in Year 2 of the Victor Wembanyama, nobody could’ve expected the Spurs getting this good, this fast. Some lottery luck allowed them to grab Rutgers guard Dylan Harper No. 2 overall, while also adding Carter Bryant at the back of the lottery. Aside from those two, all they did was add big man depth in Kelly Olynyk and Luke Kornet, which was apparently enough to improve by 28 games.

San Antonio made a big statement early in the season, managing to be the first to derail the defending champion’s early quest at 70 wins by beating them four times in five meetings, while advancing to the NBA Cup Final in mid-December before falling to the Knicks. They spent much of the second half of the season chasing down the Thunder for the best record in basketball, finishing 30-4 in their last 34 games, but fell short due to just how hot OKC finished the season.

They endured some growing pains in a surprisingly competitive series against Portland that ultimately was only extended to five games because of a Wemby concussion. Additionally, this young group battled to six games by a banged-up Timberwolves team without Donte DiVincenzo and with a laboring Anthony Edwards. In a seven-game battle with the 64-win Thunder, they rallied back down 2-1 and 3-2 to win the series on the road.

Regular Season Series

12/16/2025: Knicks win 124-113 (NBA Cup Final)
12/31/2025: Spurs win 134-132 (A)
3/1/2026: Knicks win 114-89 (H)

The first time these two teams met wasn’t initially on the schedule, but when they both won their way to the NBA Cup Final in mid-December, a third meeting was added to the calendar in Las Vegas.

The circumstances surrounding the matchup deserve an asterisk. Victor Wembanyama was on a minutes restriction and came off the bench. Despite that, the two teams were even for much of the first three quarters, despite San Antonio often going on runs to stretch it to a 7-8 point lead before a counter by the Knicks.

Everything changed in the fourth, when Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek went ballistic to punch the Spurs in the mouth and secure the NBA Cup trophy. OG Anunoby had 28, Jalen Brunson had 25, and Kolek/Clarkson combined for 29, while Wembanyama had just 17 in 25 minutes, being routinely bullied on the boards by Mitchell Robinson.

The second meeting looked like it would go in the Knicks’ favor for three quarters. 45 points in the first quarter and a 19-point advantage late in the first half had NYK rolling, but Wembanyama and company slowly chipped away until the 7’5” alien left with a knee injury in the fourth, trailing by 11.

How would the Spurs respond without their best player? Well, the December-January Knicks didn’t play a lick of defense, and Julian Champagnie capitalized by nailing a career-high 11 threes in a stunning comeback victory on New Year’s Eve in what would ultimately begin the three-week stretch from hell that rocked the boat as much as any stretch in recent memory.

Brunson had 29, Deuce McBride and Clarkson both had 20, but injuries to Josh Hart and Robinson thinned the team’s frontcourt, allowing for Wemby to score 31 in 23 minutes while Fox and Champagnie combined for 52 of their own.

By early March, the Spurs were an absolute wagon. They went 11-0 in February and were in the midst of a 30-4 run to end the season. But when they went to Madison Square Garden for a nationally televised matinee, they were blown out of the building. After the first eight minutes, the Spurs led 19-7. The Knicks closed the quarter on a 15-2 run and never trailed again, blitzing a healthy San Antonio squad by 25 points.

Mikal Bridges had his best performance of the second half of the season, scoring 25 and being a +21. Brunson added 24, while Mo Diawara splashed four threes in 15 impactful minutes. Wembanyama had 25-13 on 8-for-17 shooting. Outside of him and Devin Vassell, nobody had much of an impact.

Playoff History

1999 NBA Finals: Spurs win 4-1

This is a rematch of the last time the Knicks were in the NBA Finals, and the two franchises have been completely different since. San Antonio used this series as a springboard to a 20-year dynasty under Gregg Popovich, while it was the last gasp of the Patrick Ewing era and the second-to-last deep playoff run before 20 years of mediocrity.

The Knicks were never winning this one. As the No. 8 seed in a strike-shortened season, the Knicks were a ragtag group who stunned the world on their way here, but any chance they had to knock off the youthful Spurs vanished when Ewing tore his Achilles in the Eastern Conference Finals. As such, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston were a solid 90% of the offense.

San Antonio won Games 1 and 2 at home by 12 and 13 points in low-scoring, gritty affairs. The Knicks failed to score 80 in either. 23-year-old Tim Duncan scored 33 and 25 in two games in which his team scored less than 90 points. That’s a baby goat.

The Knicks took Game 3 at Madison Square Garden in what is currently the most recent Finals victory by the franchise. Houston scored 34 in an 89-80 victory. That momentum was short-lived, as the Admiral and the Big Fundamental carried the Spurs to a seven-point win in Game 4.

While it was academic at that point, the Knicks nearly stole Game 5 in the Alamodome. They led by eight in the second quarter and spent the fourth quarter going back and forth. Avery Johnson splashed a mid-range jumper for the lead in the final minute for San Antonio, and Sprewell, who had 35 in a terrific game where nobody else had it, missed two different go-ahead shots from inside the arc to clinch the title for the Spurs.

Key Stats (Regular Season)

Spurs:
Offensive rating: 118.7 (T-3rd)
Defensive rating: 110.4 (3rd)
FG%: 48.3% (6th)
3pt%: 35.9% (T-14th)
FT%: 78.7% (12th)
Pace: 100.7 (12th)
OREB%: 30.6% (10th)
TOV%: 13.3% (5th)
Points in the Paint: 49.3 (19th)
Opponent PITP: 46.3 (7th)
Opponent 3pt%: 35.2% (8th)
4th Quarter Net Rating: +3.2 (11th)
Clutch Record/Net Rating: 24-12, +8.3 (7th)

Knicks:
Offensive rating: 118.7 (T-3rd)
Defensive rating: 112.3 (7th)
FG%: 47.8% (11th)
3pt%: 37.3% (4th)
FT%: 79.2% (T-10th)
Pace: 97.5 (25th)
OREB%: 32.8% (7th)
TOV%: 13.9% (T-10th)
Points in the Paint: 47.8 (22nd)
Opponent PITP: 43.4 (3rd)
Opponent 3pt%: 36.2% (20th lowest)
4th Quarter Net Rating: +11.7 (1st)
Clutch Record/Net Rating: 21-13, +20.5 (3rd)

Trends:
Knicks since 1/20: 118.5 ORtg (6th), 108.2 DRtg (2nd), +10.3 net rating (3rd)
Spurs since 2/1: 30-4, 122.2 ORtg (1st), 109 DRtg (3rd), +12.2 net rating (1st)

Coaching Breakdown

Mike Brown (NYK):
Season with team: 1st
Season as head coach: 12th
Career teams coached: CLE, LAL, SAC, NYK
Career record: 507-333 (.604)
Career playoff record: 54-42 (.563)
Best finish: 2007 Cavaliers (Finals appearance)

Mike Brown is entering the postseason as the head coach of a third different team. He’s never won a game past the Eastern Conference Finals, but he’s certainly experienced deep playoff runs as an assistant under Gregg Popovich from 2001-03 and an assistant under Steve Kerr from 2017-22, winning four championships as an assistant coach.

Brown’s philosophy is a stylistic change from former head coach Tom Thibodeau, in that he prioritizes ball movement, spacing, and a drive-and-kick to open shooters (which he calls “sprays”). He was mostly unsuccessful in increasing the Knicks’ pace, showing that the team’s slow play is rooted in the way their captain operates in the offense, rather than the scheme. His biggest success has been increasing three-point attempts, but those have slowly decreased as the season has gone on.

Defensively, Brown has been flexible in his scheme. While Thibodeau always required a true rim protector on the floor, Brown has been more willing to mix up lineups in certain areas. After starting the season with a scheme that funneled the ball towards the middle of the floor into the help, Brown switched the scheme to look to send the ball towards the sidelines after the Knicks endured a month-plus stretch of abhorrent defense, powered by other teams driving and kicking to open shooters.

Mitch Johnson (SA):
Season with team: 2nd
Season as head coach: 2nd
Career teams coached: SA
Career record: 94-65 (.591)
Career playoff record: 12-6 (.666)
Best finish: 2026 Spurs (Finals and counting)

Coaching wasn’t at the forefront for Johnson for much of his life, as he spent a full four years as a starter at Stanford before going on to play in the D-League and overseas, but he got his start as an intern at Seattle University in 2011 before coaching AAU and later landing a full-time assistant role at the University of Portland in 2015.

One year later, he was in the Spurs’ organization as an assistant for their D-League affiliate in Austin. Three years after that, he was on Gregg Popovich’s staff for a fading contender. While Becky Hammon and (briefly) Tim Duncan were considered initial heirs to Coach Pop’s throne after a Hall of Fame career, it was Johnson who emerged after Wembanyama was drafted and the two developed a close relationship.

Early in the 2024-25 season, Popovich was sidelined indefinitely with a health issue, and even though it was considered interim at the time, Johnson unceremoniously took the reins in early November 2024 as the new head coach. Since then, through good team building and some fortunate lottery bounces, he’s led San Antonio into a new golden age with exciting young guard play and a future GOAT candidate in the middle.

Projected Rotations

Knicks:
Jalen Brunson
Mikal Bridges
Josh Hart
OG Anunoby
Karl-Anthony Towns
–
Jose Alvarado
Deuce McBride
Landry Shamet
Jordan Clarkson
Mitchell Robinson

Situational: Mo Diawara, Ariel Hukporti, Jeremy Sochan, Tyler Kolek

Spurs:
De’Aaron Fox
Stephon Castle
Julian Champagnie
Devin Vassell
Victor Wembanyama
–
Dylan Harper
Keldon Johnson
Carter Bryant
Harrison Barnes
Luke Kornet

Situational: Jordan McLaughlin, Kelly Olynyk

Injury Report

For the Knicks, it’s about Mitchell Robinson and his broken pinky finger. Specifically, he broke his fifth metacarpal, an injury that usually sidelines players for several weeks. Robinson, himself, missed the 2021 playoffs with a very similar injury. As of Saturday, he still plans to play when the NBA Finals begin on Wednesday, but he’ll surely be wearing a brace. Hey, at least the free throws can’t get any worse?

For the Spurs, their injury report was clean heading into Game 7, but we need to monitor the status of De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper as the series goes on. Fox missed Games 1 and 2 with an ankle injury, and his effectiveness was so-so across the rest of the series. Harper suffered a minor hamstring injury in Game 2 and played in a slightly limited role off the bench for the next five games, albeit with Fox back in the lineup, making his role smaller.

Broadcast Schedule

Game 1: Wed, June 3, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 2: Fri, June 5, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 3: Mon, June 8, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 4: Wed, June 10, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 5*: Sat, June 13, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 6*: Tue, June 16, 8:30 pm (ABC)
Game 7*: Fri, June 19, 8:30 pm (ABC)

A young NBA fan suffered catastrophic head injuries after falling from a moving vehicle while celebrating a San Antonio Spurs playoff win.

The unidentified boy, 17, is in critical condition and brain-dead following the incident which took place during the celebrations after the Spurs’ game six victory over Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, News 4 San Antonio reported.

The teen was celebrating the win, which sent the Western Conference to a seventh deciding game, when he fell off the vehicle and hit his head, according to relatives.

He was rushed to an ER before being transported to another local hospital due to the severity of his injuries.

The teenager is brain dead and is not expected to survive, a police source told the San Antonio Express News.

The exact circumstances behind Thursday’s incident remain under investigation.

“The San Antonio Police Department extends our sympathy to the family, friends and loved ones affected by this tragic and preventable incident,” the SAPD said in a statement.

“This serves as an important reminder that public safety is a shared responsibility. We encourage everyone celebrating to follow traffic laws, stay inside of your vehicles and follow directions from the officers who are there to keep everyone safe,” the statement continued.

The Spurs defeated the Thunder on Saturday night to advance to the NBA Finals, where they will face the Knicks.

I’m not saying I knew this series would go to a Game 7. But when our fearless leader, J.R. Wilco, asked me to quit submitting “The Adventures of Wembanyama and Grogu” fan fiction graphic novels to publish because this is primarily a Spurs community site, I begrudgingly and enthusiastically volunteered to sign up for Game 7 highlights.

And boy, were there highlights to be had! Victor Wembanyama scored a team-high 22 points along with 7 rebounds while Julian Champagnie uncorked 20 points on 6 – 10 shooting from downtown. It was truly a team effort as all five starters scored in the double digits, and Dylan Harper and Keldon Johnson got in on the action off the bench, scoring 12 and 11, respectively.

Emotional players play emotionally. If anyone thought Wembanyama wouldn’t come out angry, aggressive, angrily aggressively angry, then what team have you been watching? Sure, he almost fouled out of the game, but we can’t blame that on emotions. Blame it on the eternal battle between the two neighboring states’ powerhouse gas stations: Love’s and Buc-ees. One’s a nice, convenient gas station whenever you need one and the other is a roadside Texas-wrapped beef jerky haven, brisket brimming, peanut brittle laden, coven of kolaches, disguised as a refueling station. If Darth Vader loved clean restrooms and mascot beavers, he’d probably have a Buc-ees set up every 0.00000000000000324 parsecs on the Death Star. And Buc-ees would have a billboard anchored to every other asteroid floating through space: “Just 100 more light years until the next Buc-ees!”

The beaver won this round. But it’s going to be a bloody battle for years to come.

OOOOOOOOH. THAT WAS NASTY!!!

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/kkxkMw7SCm

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

This, like it’s been all season, is a Julian Champagnie appreciation post. He showed up for every single game (literally) this season for the Spurs and put in a very agrarian consistency that was often appreciated but sometimes overlooked. It’s no surprise then to see that when the moment shined brightest, Champagnie did not shy away and helped his team punch their ticket to the big dance.

Julian Champagnie (20 PTS, 6-10 3PM) played a HUGE part in the @spurs' Game 7 win tonight!

He joins Klay Thompson (2016) and Stephen Curry (2x) as the only players in NBA history to knock down 6+ 3PM in a Conference Finals Game 7 🚨 pic.twitter.com/zoWkyAmR3p

— NBA (@NBA) May 31, 2026

99.99% sure Mitch Johnson decided to slow roll the number two overall pick throughout his rookie season just to unleash him in the Western Conference Finals. Haven’t seen a rookie with this level of maturity to his game since Stephon Castle, which was like ages ago—last season to be exact. Do I sound giddy? My family, friends, and group chats have anticipated my giddiness by preempting any celebration on my part with, “at least you don’t live in San Antonio anymore so we don’t have to watch for your name to come up on the local news for all the wrong reasons.”

They’re no fun.

so crafty 🙌

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/94dmSfCHCT

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

De’Aaron Fox’s game is so smooth. Even on a balky ankle, he is able to glide anywhere on the court and get his own shot or set up his teammates. Friends and strangers alike on the internet are already declaring the Spurs will trade Fox next season, and I say to that don’t talk to me about salaries, cap space, and roster construction. I’m just a lowly pretend caveman lawyer (RIP Phil Hartman) who’s unfamiliar with your fancy lingo and advanced analytics or whatever internet speed faster than dial-up is these days. All I know is, Fox has been everything and more ever since he became a Spur.

Two-way point guards who can find their own shot, be a team’s closer when needed, run a professional NBA offense, all while sacrificing their own stats do not come along so often—just like opportunities to win an NBA title, these things are rare for a reason.

4️⃣ for 2!

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/tijywE550J

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

We rock the party that rocks the rim.

YESSIR 😤

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/bwTfKDIGIg

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

Fox serving up floaters and fond, familiar flashbacks of Tony Parker floating in the lane for a floater. Here’s hoping 3 full days of rest will get that ankle right so we can see number 4 at full strength for the Finals.

floatin' 🦊

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/oXD1dJlipM

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

Keldon Johnson’s one-man run in the fourth quarter to help sustain the Spurs’ lead gave me endless joy. A lot of chatter (understandably so) surrounded KJ’s play in this series on the heels of his Sixth Man award. Let’s not forget that these awards are regular season awards, and that it’s a long season. The Sixth Man embodies team before self, instant energy off the bench, reliability, depth for support, and leadership when the team needs it most.

When the Thunder threatened and showed why you cannot count the defending champs out, Johnson rolled right in and showed up for his team.

KJ THREE BALL 👌

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/6Qdd1lynqW

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

This Luke Kornet chase down block is better than LeBron James’s chase down block in the Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

I will not elaborate, but I can offer you seven indelible words: “Because it’s Luke (expletive) Kornet!”

LUKE BLOCK ➡️ STEPH BUCKET!

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/M89xcZIspF

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

I mean dude only played 6 minutes in this game, but he had one emphatic block so shocking that it made the Salesian Sisters question whether they were watching Luke Kornet or The Gospel According to Luke.

🗣️LUUUUUUUUKE!

📺@NBAonNBCpic.twitter.com/vcOnkbElMb

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

What is this, an MVP trophy for ants? Oh it’ just his humongous mitts.

The Western Conference runs through SA!

Get your merch today ➡️ https://t.co/FSmHOeZXR6… pic.twitter.com/ByXpJ4fNza

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

What a team.

𝐖𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 🏆 pic.twitter.com/0I9EnFxQcy

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

Anyone who’s anyone who’s watched Cowboy Bebop naturally knows that corgis never lie.

pic.twitter.com/nh1yE20tRf

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 31, 2026

If you missed the game because you were too busy wreaking (good, clean, fun) havoc in downtown San Antonio, here are the full-game highlights:

Next up, the Spurs host their first NBA Finals game since 2014! They are playing against none other than the New York Knickerbockers, who are in their first NBA Finals since 1999—against none other than our Spurs. Catch Game 1 on Wednesday, June 3, 2026.

Jared McCain and the Oklahoma City Thunder lost Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals to Mason Plumlee and the San Antonio Spurs Saturday night, 111-103.

McCain scored 12 points for the Thunder but Plumlee did not get in the game.

However, Plumlee is now the last member of the Brotherhood who may get a ring this year. San Antonio will play the New York Knicks in the Finals, and while we felt pretty certain earlier that the winner of the Western Conference Finals would be a heavy favorite, New York is playing very well. And don’t overlook this: the Spurs are the youngest team ever to get to the Finals.

The Knicks, by contrast, are a much more experienced team. Josh Hart is 31, Karl-Anthony Towns is 30, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges are 29, while Mitchell Robinson, OG Anunoby and Jose Alvarado are 28.

But as we saw in this series, Victor Wembanyama is the future. He can still be shoved around, but at 7-4 and 235, he’s quite thin and can still be bullied.

This should be another very compelling series. Hopefully, Plumlee gets a ring when it’s over, which would give him permanent bragging rights over brothers Miles and Marshall. All three won national championships at Duke, but only Mason has a chance of winning an NBA championship.

• Jared McCain off to a hot start scoring 10 quick points in Game 7
• Jared McCain hits from way downtown
• What’s next for Thunder? OKC faces a stark financial reality, and only SGA is truly indispensable
• Spurs dethrone Thunder in Game 7 to make NBA Finals
• 5 Reasons Why The Spurs Advanced To The 2026 NBA Finals In Game 7
• Devin Vassell Claims OKC Fans Kept Spurs Awake All Night Before Game 7
• OKC fans hit Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama with ‘flopper’ chants before free throw
• Do the Thunder need to make a play for Giannis Antetokounmpo after falling to Wemby and the Spurs?
• Spurs outduel Thunder for epic Game 7 win, advance to NBA Finals
• Thunder Star Chet Holmgren Under Fire After Late Benching During Game 7 vs. Spurs

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After last night’s Game 7 victory in Oklahoma City, Julian Champagnie reminisced about honking and driving with the fans after the Spurs elimintaed the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of playoffs.

“Yeah, I mean, my wife had told me she was like, ‘you know, they honk,’ I mean, they honk, she’s like, ‘they honk downtown,’ I might as well go see it. I want to go see it earlier when we won, but I figured, let’s win a series, and then I can go down there and kind of just see what’s going on, but it was great. The energy is crazy. I’m, I’m, I’m a little pissed at me, not over there right now, and see what’s going on, because I’m in downtown right now too. But energy is great, and I love the fans. We love you guys to them, right? We love you guys. We don’t go this far without you guys. We’re looking forward to seeing you guys in the finals in San Antonio and in New York, but yeah, we don’t get this far out, you guys. Shout out to y’all too. Y’all have just as much of a part in this as we do.”

De’Aaron Fox also had some kind words for the fans.

“Probably one of the most loyal fan bases that you’ll ever be around in any sport. And me being from Texas, I’ve actually gone to a Finals game in San Antonio when they played Miami, I’m seeing that the crowd can be like seeing how loud it can get. It’s just we’re continueing to get better every day and we’re bring a championship back to San Antonio.”

The Spurs, who really enjoy spending time with each other, branched out in their gratitude, The fans weren’t the only ones called out for their support. Victor Wembanyama shared some admiration Gregg Popovich, who visited the locker room after the Game 3 loss and spoke to the team.

Dylan Harper also shared gratitude for Pop. El Jefe spoke directly to the rookie guard and Harper credits him with getting refocued for his Game 6 output. He scored 18 points, with 6 rebounds and four assists. In the closeout, he scored 12 points including a clutch 3-pointer that helped the Spurs secure the win.

Spurs will host the New York Knicks on Wednesday in their first Finals appearance in a dozen years. The Spurs/Knicks Finals harkens back to 1999, when the two met and the Spurs won their first NBA Championship. Coincidentally, that 1999 series was the last time the Knicks made it all the way to the NBA Finals.

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Well, after years of faffing about, the NBA has finally implemented a major overhaul of the draft designed to discourage tanking.

It is quite complex, and yet, in some ways, quite simple-minded.

The gist is that the highest odds for the number one pick will no longer be held by the team with the worst record.

Instead, the teams with the fourth through tenth worst records in the draft will have the highest odds of getting the first pick.

Teams will not be allowed to land the number one pick in back-to-back years (this has happened twice in NBA history, not counting the 2017 draft in which the C’s traded their number one pick to the Sixers, giving them back-to-back number one picks).

Teams will not be allowed to have top five picks in three consecutive years.

The odds have also been significantly flattened overall.

Finally, the bottom three teams will have two lottery balls, the fourth through tenth teams will have three lottery balls, and the eleventh through sixteenth teams will have one ball each.

I am not a fan of making the lottery this complex, but if the league is going to go into this, I think they need to actually make it more complex.

I don’t like flat odds for the number one pick running from positions four to ten. I don’t like that drop off from tenth to eleventh. This is an area where the league certainly has the ability to add a gradient rather than a drop off.

Now, I’ll grant you, this reform package had to be sold to team owners, who are, I suspect, short of attention span for a lot of these things, so adding a smoother gradient by increasing the number of lottery balls was possibly a non-starter because it would take too long to explain (in fact, I think the lottery rules already take too long to explain, but, hey, in for a penny, in for a pound).

In my scheme, you wouldn’t have a setup with 21 balls for 4-10, 6 balls for 1-3, and 6 balls for 11-16 (total 33 balls). You’d do the setup the same way it’s done now, with balls numbered 1-14 and four number combinations that are mapped out to percentages that scale more smoothly.

I think it’s rather problematic that the tenth worst team has a better chance of landing the top pick than the third worst team.

That brings us to the oddly named ‘relegation zone.’

Frankly, it’s unnecessary.

If the three worst teams are given equal odds of getting the top pick as the teams that finish fourth through tenth in the lottery ranking, there is already no incentive to tank!

Mind you, I don’t think that the lottery odds should be flat from one to ten, but if that’s how the NBA is going to play it, then it makes no sense to pretend that teams are still going to try to be awful in search of more lottery balls.

All you’re doing now is punishing extremely bad teams.

Now granted, extremely bad teams tend to squander their picks, so maybe this isn’t such a big deal, but it seems rather silly that a bad team with the third worst record in the league is going to get robbed of a lottery ball because they weren’t good enough to finish fourth.

The NBA is basically just running an experiment at this point, though. The new lottery rules are only approved until the 2029 season, so we’re going to get three bites at this apple to see how it tastes.

Mazzulla wins Coach of the Year

Honestly, this seemed a foregone conclusion after the C’s got bounced in the first round.

It had too much humor mixed with chagrin to be anything other than a “consummation devoutly to be wish’d,” It was the perfect epitaph — or coffin lid, perhaps — for a season that began in gloom and ended the same way.

Of course, Mazzulla was going to win an award that he publicly scoffed at rather than pilot the C’s into the later rounds of the playoffs.

Did he deserve it?

Well, that depends. If you’re the kind of person who thinks that Jaylen Brown only had a Second Team All-NBA season, then you’re dang right Mazzulla deserved a Coach of the Year nod.

If you rate Brown and the C’s supporting cast higher, then I think you can make arguments for other coaches, but the league’s media in general seem to think rather poorly of the talent on the C’s team, and that makes their regular season achievements look more and more like brilliant coaching, and less like the expected performance of great players.

But that’s not the real question.

The real question isn’t whether Mazzulla deserves it, it’s whether the award should be given to a single individual.

I tend to think that Mazzulla is right, and that it should be a staff award.

Why?

Because, for example, Mazzulla isn’t single-handedly responsible for the marked improvement of Neemias Queta, and the marked improvement of Queta was a major factor in the C’s overachieving regular season.

I mean, I think Mazzulla sets a tone, and he’s very good at getting players to buy into their roles—and the flexibility and sacrifice that those roles occasionally require—but he’s not working with Neemias day in and day out to make him a better player.

It’s the rest of Mazzulla’s staff that helped these guys become better players, players that Mazzulla can put his trust in.

The league has given Mazzulla an award for being smart enough to trust these guys, and it’s given Stevens an award for assembling the roster, and both of them have been awarded for assembling the coaching staff, but what about the coaching staff itself?

I mean, if a big part of the awards for Executive of the Year and Coach of the Year hinge on the work of the coaching staff, then they should be recognized as well.

Throughout basketball, coaching staffs have grown in size and importance. We’ve come a long way from the days where Red used to roam the sidelines by himself.

It’s time, I think, to dispense with the cult of the ‘romantic genius’ in coaching, to stop looking at coaches as ‘auteurs,’ and to start looking at the position as an essentially collaborative one.

Yes, head coaches need to have the last word and the loudest voice at the table; they need to have the confidence to lead and they need to be decisive.

But these days, there is so much going on with analysis, with player development, and with game prep, that the NBA really should acknowledge that the achievements of a team that are currently attributed to the coach should be attributed to coach and staff.

In any case, Mazzulla’s response to winning the award is exactly what you would like to see.

It shows that he’s deeply aware of the work that his staff puts in, and the dividends that work has paid out.

Ultimately, the NBA might follow Joe’s suggestion, but given how long it took them to reform a lottery system that’s been abused for decades, I’m not holding my breath.