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Basketball bettors can party like it’s 1999 when the New York Knicks collide with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Game 1 finally gets going Wednesday night in Texas, and if everything is bigger in the Lone Star State, then I’m going big with my Knicks vs. Spurs same-game parlay.

I like New York to keep it closer than oddsmakers expect, leaning on their two biggest stars to make a stand in San Antonio.

Here are my best NBA picks and SGP predictions for Knicks vs. Spurs on June 3.

Our best Knicks vs Spurs SGP for Game 1

SGP leg #1: Knicks +4.5

The New York Knicks have been patiently waiting for 10 days for the NBA Finals. I’m buying into “rest” over “rust”, especially after the Knicks came out flat in Game 1 of the ECF following an extended break. Fool me twice, right?
 
New York has a solid defensive rotation to throw at San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama in this series, utilizing OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Mitchell Robinson to keep the 7-footer out of rhythm. On top of that, the Knicks can knock it down from downtown – unlike OKC.

SGP leg #2: Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 threes

Jalen Brunson leads the 3-point barrage. The Spurs did a great job dulling an attacking SGA, but Brunson is a better outside threat, and if San Antonio plays passive perimeter defense again, he’ll make the most of the extra space. Brunson did shoot 10 for 24 from distance (42%) in three meetings with San Antonio this season.

The Spurs also lack size to throw at Brunson, who has had to shoot over longer defenders in past series. With Wembanyama packing the paint, New York has to hit from outside to create space, and Brunson’s projections lean toward three triples in Game 1.

SGP leg #3: Karl-Anthony Towns Over 4.5 assists

Karl-Anthony Towns has been a conduit for the Knicks’ offense in the postseason, thriving as a passer at the top of the key. He’s averaging double his regular-season assists and has dished out five or more dimes in nine of his last 11 postseason games. 

Projections top out at 3.5 assists from KAT, but with Wembanyama likely checking Josh Hart, in order to hang around the rim, Towns faces smaller defenders than what the Cavs threw at him, and can easily see open cutters in space over the top.

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See our full Knicks vs Spurs Game 1 preview

Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Knicks vs. Spurs predictions for Game 1.

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The San Antonio Spurs are back in the NBA Finals. It may not seem like it, but it's been over a decade since their last Finals appearance in 2014.

Back then, the team looked a lot different. Kawhi Leonard, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili were the names to know. Now, it's young guns like Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell, and, of course, Victor Wembanyama.

However, the players aren't the only thing that's changed in San Antonio. The coaching staff has also shifted. While legendary head coach Gregg Popovich is still involved with the organization as the team's President of Basketball Operations, sideline duties have been passed to Mitch Johnson, Popovich's 39-year-old former assistant.

Don't let his youthful age fool you. Johnson has learned from the best of the best and has clearly taken those lessons to heart. Here's what to know about the coach at the helm of the San Antonio Spurs ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

More: These New York Knicks went to the same high school – in San Antonio

Starting to head in the right direction? The New York Liberty took on the Phoenix Mercury last Friday night at Barclays Center and came away with a grimy win. A win’s a win and this team needs them in the worst way, so they’ll take what they can.

The opponent tonight is making a pretty good first impression. The Toronto Tempo have gotten off to a good start and improved to 5-4 on the season after beating the Seattle Storm on May 30.

Where to follow the game

USA Network is the place to be. Tip after 7:30 p.m. ET.

Injuries

Marine Fauthoux is making progress, but won’t be playing. Sabrina Ionescu is dealing with a back injury and the team hopes to have her back soon. She’s out tonight.

Temi Fagbenle and Isabelle Harrison are out.

The game

Tonight promises to be a special night. The Liberty will welcome Isabelle Harrison, Brian Lankton, Olaf Lange, and Sandy Brondello back to Brooklyn! They were all members of the 2024 championship squad and had plenty of great memories here in New York.

“It’s going to be great,” Breanna Stewart said. “It’s going to be really welcoming for her. I think that the fans obviously love [her] and will always show respect to her anytime she comes back.”

There will be plenty of tributes, hugs, and good feelings tonight.

On the court, the Liberty will look to slow down an old nemesis. Marina Mabrey has fit in well with her new team and has historically given the Liberty fits over the years. Marina has a great chance to make the All Star team this year and can take games over at a moment’s notice. Having Leonie Fiebich and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton back should give the team two plus defenders that can battle with Marina for 40 minutes.

We’ll get to watch two rookies shine tonight. Kiki Rice recently moved in to the starting five and has done incredibly well in her new role. Rice is shooting 40 percent from three point range and keeping her turnovers to a minimum. As the Tempo continue building for the future, youngsters like Rice will play a big part in their success.

For New York, Pauline Astier has done an outstanding job substituting for Ionescu in the starting five. Astier’s finishing ability at the rim has been a revelation and helps the Liberty offense maintain a balanced attack. Teams have been going under on screens against her, and she’s made them pay to the tune of 47.1 percent from three point range. You wonder when the scouting report will reflect what she’s doing every night. For the Liberty’s sake, they hope everyone remains late to the party.

It’ll be interesting to see how many fans choose to attend tonight’s game vs. who stays home to watch the Knicks face off vs. the Spurs in San Antonio. The Liberty are averaging 16,259 for the season, second in the WNBA to the Golden State Valkyries. That’s 92.6% of Barclays Center capacity. Last Sunday, the Libs drew an SRO crowd of 17,622, a season high so far. In theory, fans will be able to both go to the game then race home to catch the second half of the NBA Finals Game 1. Libs start at 7:30 in Brooklyn, Knicks vs. Spurs an hour later in San Antonio.

Player to watch: Nyara Sabally

Hey, we know her! Liberty fans got to watch Nyara Sabally save the day in the 2024 Finals and be a positive presence in the community throughout her time in Brooklyn. When Sabally was taken by the Tempo in the expansion draft, it was a sad day for New York but a happy one for Toronto fans who get to watch a young center grow into becoming a solid player. Having her coach from New York has made the transition to Toronto easier and the support she’s received everywhere in her career has been incredibly valuable

Of all the people who get cheered in this homecoming, Sabally’s might be the loudest.

Nyara will match up against her vet tonight. Jonquel Jones is the centerpiece of the Liberty’s attack and when she is engaged on both sides of the ball, the Liberty’s potential is limitless.

From the Vault

Got a doubleheader today. First up, let’s revisit Nyara Sabally’s finest night and the greatest day in Liberty franchise history

And later tonight, the NBA Finals will begin in San Antonio as the Spurs look to end the New York Knicks’ dream run. It’s the Knicks’ first Finals appearance since 1999. Who did they play then? Funny you should ask that…

More reading: The Stomp Swish Appeal, Breakaway, SB Nation, Women’s Basketball Roundup, The Local W, New York Daily News, No Cap Space, New York Post, Newsday, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, Winsidr, The Stomp, The Post Presence, Her Hoop Stats, Yahoo Sports, ESPN, CBS Sports, and The IX Basketball

• New York Liberty Game Notes – New York Liberty
• Toronto Tempo Game Notes – Toronto Tempo

As the NBA season finally barrels toward its conclusion, we’re down to the final stage of the journey. After an 82-game regular season and nearly two months of playoff basketball, there are, at most, seven games remaining. Standing at the finish line are two teams with very different stories but one fascinating connection to Minnesota basketball.

On one side sits the San Antonio Spurs, the team that ended the Timberwolves’ season in May and spent six games methodically demonstrating why so many people believe Victor Wembanyama is destined to dominate the NBA for the next decade. On the other side are the New York Knicks, led in part by the former face of the Timberwolves franchise, Karl-Anthony Towns, whose blockbuster departure from Minnesota in 2024 remains one of the defining moments of the franchise’s recent history.

If you’re wondering where Wolves fans are likely to stand during this series, I don’t think it’s particularly complicated.

They’re standing with KAT.

You don’t spend nearly a decade carrying a franchise through some of its darkest years and then suddenly lose the support of an entire fan base because you got traded. For all the frustrations that occasionally accompanied Towns’ tenure in Minnesota, for all the playoff disappointments, for all the debates about whether he could ever be the best player on a championship team, it’s easy to forget what he actually meant to this organization.

When Towns arrived, the Timberwolves were still wandering through the post-Kevin Garnett wilderness. The franchise was largely irrelevant nationally. Playoff appearances were a pipe dream.

Towns became the bridge. He wasn’t the player who ultimately turned Minnesota into a perennial contender, that distinction belongs to Anthony Edwards, but he was the player who kept the franchise afloat long enough to reach that point.

He endured coaching changes, front-office dysfunction, roster overhauls, the Jimmy Butler saga, the Tom Thibodeau era, the Rudy Gobert trade fallout. Through all of it, he remained remarkably loyal to a franchise that often gave him more headaches than help. So yes, Wolves fans are spending June cheering for a former player. It’s understandable, and frankly, it’s deserved.

What makes this Finals particularly fascinating is that it feels like two completely different basketball realities colliding.

The Knicks have spent the last several weeks looking like a team of destiny. Everything has worked. Everything.

They stormed through the Eastern Conference with an efficiency that bordered on absurd. The Hawks, 76ers, and Cavaliers put up minimal resistance. In the rare moments where New York was challenged, they displayed the kind of confidence and momentum that tends to accompany teams that believe they’re on a special run.

The city is alive. Madison Square Garden is operating like a basketball cathedral again. It’s been 53 years since New York last won an NBA championship. The drought has lasted so long that it has almost become part of the franchise’s identity. And now they’re four wins away from ending it.

The problem is that reality has a funny way of crashing through fairytale stories, and that reality currently wears a Spurs jersey.

As impressive as New York has been, we should probably acknowledge something that’s being glossed over a little bit. The Knicks road to the Finals was not exactly lined with basketball murderers. They had the privilege of facing the 6th, 7th, and 4th seeds on the way to the Finals. That’s not meant to diminish what New York accomplished. You can only beat the teams in front of you, and the Knicks did exactly that. In fact, they didn’t merely beat those teams. They dominated them.

But now they’re stepping into an entirely different weight class.

After eliminating our talented, but injured Timberwolves, the Spurs marched into the Western Conference Finals and knocked off Oklahoma City, a team many people believed was destined to win the championship. The Thunder entered the postseason looking like the league’s final boss. They had the MVP. They had elite depth. They had home-court advantage. They had youth. They had experience. They had seemingly everything.

And yet here we are, with the Spurs are representing the Western Conference.

While the Knicks have looked dominant, San Antonio has looked dangerous. The Spurs possess a player who can completely distort the geometry of basketball. Every generation gets a player who forces us to rethink what basketball is supposed to look like. Kareem did it. Jordan did it. LeBron did it. Steph did it. Wembanyama feels like the next entry on that list.

So what happens in this series? Honestly, I think there are only two outcomes. The first is the one every basketball fan is hoping for. Six or seven games full of momentum swings, last-second shots, Garden crowds losing their minds, and Wembanyama doing alien things. The type of Finals people still talk about five years later.

The second possibility is far less exciting. The Knicks’ magic carpet ride crashes into reality. The Spurs’ talent advantage becomes overwhelming. Wembanyama takes control of the series, and what looked like a dream run suddenly turns into a fairly quick conclusion.

I genuinely don’t know which outcome we’re getting. That’s what makes this matchup fascinating. One team arrives carrying the hopes of an entire city that hasn’t celebrated a title since 1973. The other arrives carrying what increasingly feels like the future of the NBA.

Either way, Wolves fans will spend the remainder of this season cheering for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nearly two years removed from the trade, Towns remains one of us. And if he somehow ends up holding the Larry O’Brien Trophy a few weeks from now, there are going to be a lot of people in Minnesota smiling right alongside him.

Go get it, KAT.

It’s gameday, everyone.

The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals. June basketball is here. I never thought this day would come.

I’ve spent the last few days reliving the recent playoff runs via YouTube highlights to truly encompass the path we’ve endured to get here, and while we can maybe save the whole story of the Knicks for another day, it’s important that we reflect on the 14 games that bridged a topsy-turvy regular season and the pinnacle of basketball.

The Knicks are 4.5-point underdogs tonight and +160 underdogs to raise the Larry O’Brien Trophy, both according to FanDuel, but with the way this team has been playing and the lessons they’ve learned about themselves over the course of the postseason, I don’t know how you can be anything but confident in their chances.

Let’s look back at the five plays that have defined this playoff run thus far:

The ending sequence of Game 3 in Atlanta

This might seem like an odd choice, given that this sequence resulted in a Knicks defeat, but we likely don’t see the absolute dominance we’ve gotten for the last 11 games without this game.

It was easy to chalk up Game 2 as a game of playoff shenanigans. A young team scrapped their way back from a 14-point deficit and rode the coattails of a generational heater by their vet, CJ McCollum, and caught the favorite napping in their own gym. It happens.

But when Atlanta burst out to an 18-point lead in Game 3, you started to get concerned, but the veteran team was able to weather the storm of being punched in the mouth on the road and came all the way back to take the lead late. This was the moment that the Knicks’ experience would prevail.

Well, not quite. After a very bad offensive possession resulted in a shot clock violation, Atlanta inbounded with 16 seconds left, trailing by one. The Knicks decided to play straight up, allowing McCollum to get the ball and face Deuce McBride 1-on-1. That strategy failed, and the Hawks took the lead.

Still, they had a chance to take the lead back or even win the game if they held the ball long enough. Yet, despite having one of the most clutch players on the planet, his resolve vanished in a similar fashion to the way it did in Game 6 against Miami three years ago, a mistake that ended their season.

This play personified the Knicks’ offense at this point. Mikal Bridges didn’t want the ball. Karl-Anthony Towns was willing to sit in the background. The team was utterly dependent on Jalen Brunson bailing them out late in games. If he struggled, the team was dead in the water.

Tears were shed in that locker room after falling behind 1-2. Knowing that this was unacceptable and sensing that a premature exit would mark the end of this era of Knicks basketball, everything changed after this.

They stopped letting McCollum work in isolation, blitzing him to force it out of his hands. They shifted to a KAT-centric offense, lightening the load on Brunson. Bridges found his confidence. Losing this game was necessary to be the wake-up call this team needed to get to the NBA Finals.

OG’s and-1 to go up 50 in Game 6

Fast forward to Game 6. The Knicks rolled to a Game 4 win to even up the series heading back to MSG and eviscerated the Hawks at home to put them on the brink of elimination in Game 6.

Despite falling behind 9-5 early, the Knicks looked the part of a Great White Shark. Their opponent was wounded and on their back feet.

They. Smelled. Blood.

The next 17-ish minutes saw the team go on a jaw-dropping 67-13 run, repeatedly turning over the Hawks, running out in transition, and scoring at will. The margin was incomprehensible. This sequence personified the degree of ass-kicking this game was.

Jalen Johnson, whose terrific All-NBA season went up in smoke over the course of this series, gets put into a box by Mitchell Robinson in the paint. Josh Hart races into the frontcourt before Atlanta could set their defense, allowing OG Anunoby to get downhill and score. The only reason it didn’t sound like a funeral after this was because of the Knicks fans.

Brunson’s five-point swing in Game 4 to close out Philly

There was no adversity to overcome in the four-game sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. The only game that was competitive in the fourth quarter was Game 2, when Joel Embiid sat. The only game that Philly took a double digit lead was Game 2, but they didn’t lead for the last 34 minutes of the game.

By Game 4, the Sixers were dead. The Knicks were making triple after triple, much to the chagrin of the jarringly small number of Philly fans at Xfinity Mobile Arena. It was a Mother’s Day Massacre.

But no sequence displayed the true disparity between the heart and desire of these two teams more than when the Knicks extended their lead from 24 to 29 in less than 10 seconds early in the second half.

Brunson shakes Dominick Barlow out of his shoes and goes up-and-under Embiid for a reverse layup. A misguided outlet pass from Embiid was picked off by Deuce McBride, who got a hockey assist after Bridges hit Brunson in the corner for a three that gave the Knicks 99 points with over 19 minutes of game time remaining.

Landry Shamet’s gift from the heavens

The only time the Knicks have felt adversity in the last 40 days was Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. A rusty Knicks team couldn’t buy a make and were repeatedly exploited defensively as the Cavs abused the same game plan that stunted Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers.

It was 93-71 with under eight minutes to go, but we all know what happened from there. Brunson showed Tyler Kolek the true meaning of BBQ chicken with what he did to James Harden, dragging this team back into the game.

If I could pick a few more clips, I’d give credit to two gigantic shots by Bridges that countered the lone buckets from Cleveland down the stretch and gave the team life. Most of us thought it was over when Towns committed a dumb offensive foul, but his clutch shotmaking set up what happened next.

Towns got a piece of a Spida floater with a minute to go that gave the Knicks the ball, down by three. Brunson brought the ball up, was double-teamed, and made the right read to kick it to Anunoby, who then swung it to a wide open Landry Shamet.

If he misses this shot, the Cavs will have a three-point lead and the ball with under 45 seconds to go. The margin for error would be nonexistent. When the ball first hit the rim, it seemed like that was reality, but the basketball gods repaid the Knicks for Tyrese Haliburton’s improbable game-tying shot in a similar spot last year, giving Shamet a friendly role.

The Knicks aren’t here without Shamet’s blisteringly hot shooting. Every contender needs someone who can turn into a flamethrower on cue.

Cleveland gives up in Game 3

In case you haven’t noticed, a trend of this article is the Knicks breaking their opponents. It’s like Mike Brown’s been showing them clips from Rocky IV:

At this point, it’s all but academic in Game 3. The Knicks had come to Rocket Arena and had all but killed the Cavaliers. A 3-0 deficit is logistically impossible to come back from in basketball.

But you kinda had a feeling that the Memorial Day massacre was coming when Cleveland basically gave up at the end of the game. It looked like a team that was mentally checked out, something that was validated by Kenny Atkinson’s foolish remarks the next day at shootaround.

Aside from Max Strus, everyone stopped playing. This was a team dead in the water, mortally wounded by Game 1’s impossible comeback and firmly on life support after two more devastating blows to the heart. The Knicks are breaking their opponents, and that’s how they’ve made it to the NBA Finals.

BONUS: Danhausen’s curse

This has nothing to do with basketball, but the results speak for themselves, don’t they?

Maybe I’m just a tad superstitious.

New York Post may be compensated and/or receive an affiliate commission if you click or buy through our links. Featured pricing is subject to change.

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999 — and they’ll face the same opponent this year, too.

A direct rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs begins tonight, June 3. As you may recall, these two teams faced off just six months ago in the 2025 NBA Cup championship game, which the Knicks won, 124-113.

The Spurs enter the series as the oddsmakers’ favorite largely due to the sheer defensive gravity of Victor Wembanyama, who completely altered the Western Conference Finals by playing heavy minutes, raining threes and anchoring a dominant net rating when on the floor.

Led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks can’t be counted out easily. They rely heavily on outside shooting and floor spacing rather than just driving relentlessly into the paint where Wemby dominates.

The series will continue on Friday night for Game 2.

Knicks vs. Spurs start time:

Game 1 of the NBA Finals is scheduled to tip off at 8 p.m. ET tonight, June 3.

NBA Finals Game 1 streaming: How to watch Knicks vs. Spurs for free

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream the game for free.

DIRECTV is our top pick for watching basketball live for free — its five-day free trial includes ABC, where every game of the NBA Finals will air. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $44.99/month and gain access to over 90 live channels.

Sling TV is another affordable way to watch TV live and stream NBA games; its Select plan includes ABC and starts at $19.99/month.

NBA Finals schedule 2026

All games will air on ABC at 8:30 p.m. ET.

• Game 1: Wednesday, June 3
• Game 2: Friday, June 5
• Game 3: Monday, June 8
• Game 4: Wednesday, June 10
• Game 5: Saturday, June 13*
• Game 6: Tuesday, June 16*
• Game 7: Friday, June 19*

* if necessary

Why Trust Post Wanted by the New York Post

This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.

The Spurs depth in the regular season was one of their strengths, with up to 11 current players having rotation spots at some point or another. That includes veteran Harrison Barnes and rookie Carter Bryant swapping places midseason, but even as the rotation has shortened, they have both still been situationally used in the playoffs (albeit in short leashes).

Despite all that depth, how the game has gone for the Spurs has depended more and more on how Victor Wembanyama has performed as the playoffs progress. When he’s great, the Spurs usually win, but when he’s merely “good” but doesn’t get a lot of help (or, you know, has to leave the game for reasons he either did or didn’t cause), the Spurs have struggled. Now that we have reached the NBA Finals against a similarly deep and stronger Knicks team, everyone will have to step up.

The Spurs have seen almost everyone step up at some point or another in these playoffs, but there’s one player they seem to benefit the most from when he has a big game, and that’s rookie guard Dylan Harper. In our In the Bonus article from after Game 7 against the Thunder, this was part of my answer to the question, “Who was the second most important Spur” after Victor Wembanyama:

I’m going to go out on a limb (and probably differ from everyone else) and say Harper because he is the biggest wildcard of the group. Outside of Wemby, perhaps the biggest deciding factor in each game was if the Spurs’ bench would hold on when he sat, and when Harper was out for most of Game 2 or ineffective from games 3-5 with the sore adductor, it was a much bigger hurdle for them to overcome. When he was on point in games 1 (which he admittedly started), 6 and 7, the Spurs had the upper hand almost the entire time.

This got me to thinking, as many X factors as the Spurs have in this series, Harper could be the most important one, just like he was against OKC. An X factor is defined as “a circumstance, quality, or person that has a strong but unpredictable influence,” and that certainly applies to Harper. He’s a rookie, and despite having a poise and maturity level beyond his years, he‘s still going to have his ups and downs, but perhaps nothing showed his value more than when he was at his best against the Thunder, and that is bound to be the case against the Knicks as well.

None of this is to say he needs to be their second best player or leading scorer after Wemby or completely take over games, but he needs to help keep the offense flowing for the second unit when De’Aaron Fox and/or Stephon Castle sits and keep hitting big, timely shots like he did in Game 7. As previously stated, when he’s been on, the Spurs have had the advantage; when he isn’t, they suffer when the starters sit. The Finals is all hands on deck, and even though Keldon Johnson was Sixth Man of the Year, the second unit’s performance and perhaps the Spurs’ fate begins and ends with Harper.

(For added proof, FanDuel Sportsbook has Harper as 4th most likely Spur to win Finals MVP behind Wemby, Fox and Castle. How far has he come that a rookie bench player is looked so highly upon?)

Other Spurs X Factors

Julian Champagnie — After a hot first round, Champagnie’s three-point shooting has been up and down in the last two rounds, and his impact is pretty clear. In their 12 wins, he has shot 40% from three; in their six loss, just 29.8%. Almost every rotation player on the Knicks is an above average three-point shooter, which could be their biggest advantage. The Spurs will need everyone to step up in that regard, especially their best shooter, who needs to either help prevent double-teams on Wemby by making shots or capitalize off them — by making shots.

De’Aaron Fox’s ankle — As an All-Star, Fox himself is not a X Factor, but his gimpy ankle turns him into one. After suffering a high ankle sprain in the second round against Minnesota, he missed Games 1 and 2 against the Thunder, which the Spurs split thanks to a fantastic performance from Harper in Game 1. However, it took him until about Game 6 or 7 to look right again, but while the Spurs certainly missed his slashing ability and automatic offense in that time frame, his mere presence was able keep the turnovers down. They’ll need that at a minimum from him again, but the closer he can get to the healthiest version of himself, the better.

Keldon Johnson — It goes without saying that KJ has suffered the Curse of the Award in these playoffs (a.k.a. when a player wins something, then their production in the postseason suffers — it’s especially known to attack MVP’s). Similar to Harper and another player to be listed below, the Spurs need the bench to perform in those crucial non-Wemby (and Fox, Castle, etc.) minutes. KJ got some redemption with an offensive explosion in the fourth quarter of Game 7, and they’ll need of his Sixth Man of the Year form throughout the Finals.

Luke Kornet — Kornet has and will continue to be the target of driving lanes the instant Wemby sits because opponents know how valuable those minutes are. He’s not the only reason the non-Wemby minutes have been largely negative, but he’s the one carrying the burden, fairly or not. Like KJ, hopefully his redemption from Game 7 carries over. We may also get some French Vanilla minutes since the Knicks are equally as capable of playing two bigs, so that’s another scenario he needs to be ready for and could be a huge factor.

In today’s Dub Hub:

• Wednesday’s Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals matchup puts Golden State’s championship run into perspective.
• Draymond Green shares how the Knicks should defend Spurs’ center Victor Wembanyama.
• ESPN’s Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon detail the sustainability of the Thunder’s roster.

The 2026 NBA Finals tip off Wednesday night with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the New York Knicks at 5:30 p.m. PT. Regardless of who ultimately lifts the Larry O’Brien Trophy, this year’s Finals will extend a historic streak that underscores the parity across today’s NBA.

With the Spurs and Knicks meeting on the league’s biggest stage, the NBA is guaranteed to crown a different champion for the eighth consecutive season, marking the longest such streak in league history.

The last team to successfully repeat? The Golden State Warriors, who captured back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018 during the height of the franchise’s dynasty.

Since then, every reigning champion has fallen short of defending its title the following season, a testament to how difficult sustained success has become in the modern NBA.

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder nearly had an opportunity to end that streak this year after another dominant regular season. However, injuries eventually took their toll in the playoffs, and Oklahoma City finished just one Game 7 victory against the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals away from earning another chance to repeat.

As the league prepares to crown yet another new champion, it’s hard not to look back at the Warriors’ dynasty with a greater appreciation. Golden State reached five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-2019 and won three championships along the way, a run that feels even more impressive in today’s parity-driven NBA.

For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Wednesday, June 3rd:

Warriors News:

Basketball gods blessed fans with most compelling NBA Finals since Warriors-Cavs | NBC Sports Bay Area

This series, however, is about more than deciding a champion. It’s about one team exorcising decades of despair and the other introducing a monster capable of terrorizing the league for many years.

The marquee is appealing, the lights are bright and eyeballs will be plentiful. These Finals bring the kind of spectator nirvana not seen since 2016, when Curry and Warriors – after coming back to eliminate Durant and Thunder in the conference finals– took a 3-1 lead over James and the Cavs, only to fall in seven.

May we get seven games in these Finals. No doubt the NBA wants it. And why wouldn’t its fans?

2026 NBA draft: Player comps for 12 projected lottery picks | ESPN

Scout’s take: Burries drew comparisons to another combo guard who excelled in analytical models before the draft (and since): Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski. It’s an ironic comparison because they could be teammates in Golden State, which has the 11th pick in the draft.

“He’s maybe a bit less scrappy,” one executive said, “but he’s got more off the bounce than Podz.”

Some question whether Burries’ production can scale up offensively. If that happens, he could be compared to White or potentially Jamal Murray. — Bontemps

Draymond Green shares the key to the Knicks’ defense against Wemby

NBA News:

Thunder’s next test: How far will OKC go to keep its roster intact? | ESPN

The Thunder’s team salary was a manageable $186.7 million this season, 15th in the NBA and below the tax line for the sixth consecutive season. Next season, prior to the draft, free agency and their various team option choices, the Thunder’s salary is projected at a whopping $250.5 million, well past the projected second apron, which would trigger a more than $200 million tax bill.

League insiders are not predicting the prudent Presti will make any panic moves because of a coin flip seven-game series loss to the Spurs. But many league executives have been wondering aloud for months whether the Thunder’s shifting financials could lead to a slashing and market availability of some of their coveted role players, especially given the cache of draft picks and young players Presti has accumulated to replace them if needed.

“There can’t be room for everybody,” one East executive said.

Full schedule for NBA Finals matchup between Spurs and Knicks

In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:

Warriors Steph Curry signs 10-year shoe deal with Li-Ning

Li-Ning shoes are known in the basketball world for having exceptional support and comfort, which no doubt factored into the decision for Curry, who has dealt with ankle issues for his entire career. Critically, the company is also endorsed by Curry’s friend and teammate Jimmy Butler III, which no doubt played a role (and hopefully the company is giving Butler a nice little reward for that).

Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.

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An arbitrator ruled last month that NBA free agent Terry Rozier violated his player's contract and will forfeit his 2025-26 season salary of $26.6 million after being indicted for his role in a sports gambling scandal.

According to court documents obtained by USA TODAY Sports, an arbitrator said Rozier should not be paid. The guard did not play for the Miami Heat during the 2025-26 season, and as a condition of his bond after his October arrest, he was not allowed to travel with the team or contact the Heat or the Charlotte Hornets, for whom he played when the alleged scheme took place.

The arbitrator's ruling was included in documents filed in the Eastern District of New York in connection with Rozier's motion to modify the conditions of pretrial release. He was arrested in October and charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.

Rozier was put on immediate leave by the NBA after being accused in a wide-ranging illegal gambling scheme that includes ties to organized crime and involves more than 30 individuals. Federal authorities allege in court documents that Rozier provided insider information that gamblers used to place wagers on the Los Angeles Lakers, Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors over the span of a year. The National Basketball Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf, and an arbitrator originally ruled that Rozier should be paid his full salary while on leave.

NBA gambling scandal timeline: Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Mafia ties explained

Rozier allegedly schemed to leave early during a March 23, 2023 game against the New Orleans Pelicans due to a foot injury. Rozier played less than 10 minutes in the game and did not return, finishing with five points and two assists. The accusation is that Rozier told co-defendant Deniro Laster he would leave the game early, and that information was sold to others, who made the "under" bets.

Rozier, who is free on a $3 million bond, is due back in a Brooklyn federal courthouse on June 10 to face additional charges of sports bribery and honest services fraud for that March 2023 game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Terry Rozier: Free agent forfeits 2025-26 salary amid gambling charge

Fans who tune in to watch the 2026 NBA Finals on ESPN might notice something a little different before tipoff.

ESPN created seven unique opening segments to precede each game of the San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks series, starting with Game 1 on June 3 (you can watch that video above). The 80-second videos depict different defining moments from NBA Finals history inside the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

This is the ESPN's 24th year broadcasting the NBA Finals, but the first year of the network's new 11-year media rights agreement with the NBA. The opens mark the relaunch of that relationship and celebrate the Finals.

"This was time to reimagine what we have been doing most recently, and I love that we landed here," said Tim Corrigan, ESPN's senior vice president of sports production. "You want to look at teams that are there and respect them for their journey and how they got here, and I think the idea here is introducing that you're part of something even bigger when you do get here and this is the legacy of it."

The New York Knicks are back in the NBA Finals, taking on the San Antonio Spurs for the first time in 27 years.

With the game inching closer, we spoke with Pounding the Rock contributor Mateo Mayorga to learn more about the Spurs’ current state of affairs going into the matchup.

The Spurs had a tough seven-game series against the Thunder before reaching the Finals. What was the biggest takeaway from the Western Conference Finals?

Stephon Castle’s issue is turnovers, and the offense makes fewer mistakes with him being the secondary playmaker, next to De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper. I like Harper more in the lineup with the starters because the defensive ceiling is higher, in part because he’s bigger and stronger.

Who is the Spurs’ X-Factor?

Devin Vassell is their unsung hero. He got a good chunk of the minutes guarding Chet Holmgren in the Western Conference Finals, while making 39.6 percent of 3-pointers (7.6 attempts). He rarely turned the ball over as well. He’s as good as gets for a release valve because he can put the ball on the deck, too. 

Does the NBA Cup Final have any weight on this series or is it a new slate?

Not much, so it’s a new slate. The Knicks have been playing differently in the playoffs, and one of the features is using Karl-Anthony Towns more as a playmaker for his teammates, with him more than doubling his playoff assists average. On top of that, Mikal Bridges has been on a heater in his last 11 games, putting more pressure on defenses with his transition work and off-ball movement. The Knicks are much mightier than they were during the Cup. 

If the Spurs were to lose Game 1, what would be the reason why?

I could see it happening mainly because Wemby didn’t play enough minutes. There’s also Wemby wanting to sag off to play help defense at the expense of the 3-point line, or if they have a poor defensive game, not being able to stop fouling penetration. This is certain: Towns will make him work harder than Isaiah Hartenstein, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Clingan. Aside, as the playoffs go deeper, coverages get tighter, and those have affected Fox the most because he’s a leaner guy, and he’s probably still feeling a bit of the ankle injury that caused him to miss two games in the WCF. 

What’s your prediction for Game 1?

Spurs take first blood. Either Julian Champagnie or Keldon Johnson provide the heavy lifting at a critical time, Knicks offense is forced to come back to earth and San Antonio takes control of the boards.

This week, I became friends with J.R. Wilco of Pounding the Rock. It’s a strange relationship. We enjoy each other’s banter, and he’s a thoroughly likable dude, yet at the same time, I want the thing I love to destroy the thing he loves—and vice versa. There’s probably a Marvel movie logline in there somewhere.

With Game One of the NBA Finals between our New York Knicks and Wilco’s San Antonio Spurs about to tip off, we two SB Nation site editors put our heads together for your entertainment. (Mostly our own, really, but if you dig it too, cool.)

J.R.

I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling strong 20th century vibes right now. As if I want to party like it’s 1999, or at least watch basketball like it. Twenty-seven years have passed since the Knicks and Spurs met in the Finals and here we are in the year that the NBA Finals validate the in-season NBA Cup Tournament. 

Ever since San Antonio eliminated Minnesota, I’ve been saying that New York scared me more than OKC. But during games 1, 2 & 7 against the Thunder, I was more tense than I’ve been for any game in over twenty years, so I don’t know that stack ranking teams by induced fear will accomplish much. Before the OKC series, people were saying how much both teams had developed since they last played, but the Knicks have undergone the same kind of improvement since SA and NY have met. Which makes me wonder, with all of these changes on both sides, how long a series do you expect?

R.R.

Pleased to meet you finally, J.R. I have three tickets to see Wilco this month, so when a message arrived from Wilco, I assumed Jeff Tweedy was checking on my choices for the setlist.

Funny story: My reason for picking the Knicks to win in five games is not rooted in basketball logic. A few months ago, my wife and sister-in-law asked about attending a Wilco show at Beak and Skiff (an excellent venue). With a date of June 16, a potential Knicks conflict didn’t register. Why? Because it’s been decades since the Knicks last played in June, and they weren’t exactly living up to expectations this season. I bought tickets. Child care was arranged. Now, I’m in a pickle: either the Knicks wrap this up in five, or I’ll need to fake an injury so I can watch Game Six. What’s the marital equivalent of an SGA flop?

But if you pinned me down, I’d predict: Impossible Four, Unlikely Five . . . Knicks in Six.

Your memories of the 1999 Finals must be fonder than mine. For one, I was inebriated throughout the series, watching from a Belmar barstool while my soon-to-be (and eventually ex-) wife drowned me in whiskey. Suffice it to say, my recollection is blurry. For two, look at those box scores. Yikes! The Knicks scored 77 in Game One and 67 in Game Two. It’s crazy to remember that they averaged 86 points per game that season. Sure, that was nearly the lowest in the league, but the NBA was still a far cry from the point-paloozas of today. In 25 years, teams will average 150 and play exhibition games on Mars.

The current Spurs team has no trouble running up the scoreboard. And in the playoffs, they’ve looked more cohesive than the iteration New York beat in the NBA Cup. Even then, they were no pushovers; the Knicks had to rally in the fourth, winning the quarter 35–19. When the Thunder were favored in the WCF, I was skeptical. San Antonio proved me right. They’re truly the best in the West, and, truth be told, they’re a helluva lotta fun to watch.

I can’t wait for these two teams to lock horns. I’m here for all of your questions, although brilliant answers are not guaranteed (many brain cells died before this blogger sobered up). I’m curious to know what you think is different between the Spurs of this moment versus the team that NY beat in the Emirates Cup game. I have assumptions (a young team coming to understand each other’s rhythms and style after playing more games together, for instance) but you’ve watched them more than I.

J.R.

The changes the Spurs have undergone since the Knicks beat them on December 16 is a fun topic because some started soon after, and some have just been completed in overcoming Oklahoma City. 

The first transition was in the team’s approach on offense. Early in the season, the offense ran through Victor, and opponents were selling out to stop him at all costs. Sometimes this would work  (the early-season games against Phoenix are great examples) and San Antonio’s offense simply cratered. Even in the games they won, the Spurs would go through extremely long offensive droughts. This continued until the all star break after which Wemby suddenly showed that he’d learned that he didn’t have to be the center of the offense for the team to win. 

Suddenly, instead of calling for the ball while 20 feet from the basket, going on-on-one, and driving into loads of help defense and turning the ball over (which he’d done a lot of last season), he would set screens and roll while the defense stretched to keep him from the rim, which opened up all kinds of opportunities for the Spurs shooters and drivers to exploit. That’s the environment in which Wemby would then attack, and defenses have a hard time defending so many threats and that explains the run they went on from February through the end of the season. 

Then the postseason came, which taught the coaching staff and the team to deal with situational threats that are rarely seen during the regular season. The OKC series was an advanced education in developing new offensive strategies on the fly, and if they hadn’t passed that test we wouldn’t be talking right now. 

So that’s what’s changed since we met. There was the final meeting of the year in that stretch, which New York won, and it’s apparent that the Knicks are a different beast from any of the previous Spurs opponents because of how they handled SA during the 20+ game stretch in which their only loss was to the Knickerbockers. Then as if that weren’t enough, they unlocked KAT’s point center module and started tearing through teams. San Antonio made it past the defending champs largely through size and physicality, but New York has shooting AND length. They have size at the wing that can dwarf the Spurs, and they’re on a win streak longer than the Thunder’s 8-0 run to start the playoffs. 

All that to say, I haven’t seen enough of the Knicks’ recent games to have anything close to a good foundation to make an educated guess from. So I have some questions that would help me get ready for the series; some about basketball, some about the fanbase, and some about you: Has point KAT been that big a deal? In other words, was placing the ball in his hands the move that facilitated the 9-0 win streak? How much point KAT have they been using?

R.R.

Indeed, like the Spurs, New York has improved since December—and not just by dumping Guerschon Yabusele. It took a while to get cooking, though.

Wemby suddenly showed that he’d learned he didn’t have to be the center of the offense for the team to win.

You could say the same about Jalen Brunson.

Throughout the season, many complained that Mike Brown should play Brunson off the ball more often, for multiple reasons. It saves his legs, and it diversifies the offense. But the Knicks kept drilling the same formula repeatedly.

Through two seasons, the Towns-Brunson pairing was never as successful as it could have been. Countless games started stale and didn’t improve until the reserves came in to mix up the lineup. Usually, KAT would flourish while Jalen rested in the second quarter, and he’d get some buckets in the third, letting Jalen take center stage in the fourth.

Here’s another gripe: For whatever reason (either by his choice or the coach’s) KAT doesn’t post up. It didn’t happen under Thibs, either, so you can draw your own conclusions. We came to accept it, but it drove some of the fanbase nuts.

Anyway, the first three games of the playoffs followed the same script they tried all season. And after falling behind 1-2 to the clearly less-talented Hawks (losing each game by one point), many fans wondered if our hopes had been too high.

Then, a change. Point-KAT was unleashed; the team started playing faster, exploiting more fast-break opportunities; the scoring load was shared across all five starters (plus one sharpshooting Shamet); and their defense has bordered on criminally abusive. They unlocked an unprecedented level of beautiful basketball during their 11-game winning streak—and their historic numbers back it up.

Some specific changes we’ve seen is Mikal Bridges bringing the ball up the court more often, and Hart taking off on a sprint if he’s hauled in a rebound. That means a good defender has to chase Jalen around away from the ball, while the other four starters go to work—and each can shoot or attack the rim.

Karl is an exceptional passer. As the hub, he can thread a pass to a cutter, zip it out to a corner (and from there it swings until an open shooter is found), rise up for a high-percentage shot, or put his shoulder down and drive to the cup.

So the Knicks unlocked basketball nirvana by relying less on Brunson as the primary ball handler, rocketing defensive rebounds down the court for fast-paced buckets, and letting KAT operate as a hub. Just as the Spurs learned to rely less on Wemby, the Knicks did the same with Jalen. And, lo and behold, both players became even more valuable to their teams.

A few Q’s for you. Where do you think the Spurs will most surprise the Knicks? What vulnerabilities worry you the most? (You mentioned size, but most of your key guys are 6’5” and up—and Wemby is a friggin’ tree.)

J.R.

When the NBA Cup final was over, who could have expected that both teams would be in the Finals because their centers started initiating their offense as 7-foot point guards? Well it’s happened. I know that KAT has spent far more time in that role, but Point Wemby made a significant contribution at the beginning of Game 7 in OKC and it helped the Spurs build their first lead. So I’m wondering how much of that we’ll see in the Finals, and I’m enjoying with anticipation the media losing their minds over a series in which centers are leading their teams in assists. With how much of a copycat league this is, it would be interesting to see how far the idea can go. 

As to how the Spurs will surprise the Knicks, I think it has to be with Dylan Harper. The rookie has played well all year, but there’s nothing about his play in the playoffs that looks the slightest bit like it’s his first season in the league. Of all the changes the Spurs have made since they’ve played NY, Harper’s emergence has to be the one that I think will have the biggest effect on the Finals because he’s like no one else at his age in ages, literally. When his numbers aren’t matching Magic Johnson’s rookie playoff stats, they’re setting rookie postseason records. If he hadn’t gotten an adductor injury during the WCF, there’s no way he’d be able to surprise anyone because I believe that it would have been a shorter series, and he’d have been one of the major Spurs stories heading into the Finals. Even with the 3-4 subpar games from Dylan as he recovered his health, you can make a strong case that San Antonio doesn’t eliminate OKC without him. 

On the vulnerabilities front, it’s all about New York’s size for me. You’re right that the Spurs have big guards, but their forwards are undersized against most teams in the league. Against Anunoby and Robinson, they’re almost tiny. Also, San Antonio likes to guard opposing centers with a guard or a wing, so that Wemby can roam the paint and play Gandalf (You shall not pass!) If they do that in the Finals then that’s another matchup the Spurs are small in, which could create rebounding problems and a bevy of other issues, crossmatching, etc. 

Ok, my questions for you: Who did you want to advance between the Thunder and the Spurs and why? And are you concerned about one of the consistent issues over the past few postseasons: rest-induced rust for the team that ended its series early?

R.R.

Cooper Flagg deserves his flowers, but Harper deserved more votes for Rookie of the Year. His skills and poise in the biggest moments have impressed us at P&T. Wemby, Castle, and Harper: three excellent drafts for you, my friend!

Upon examining the strengths and weaknesses of both Western Conference finalists, I argued that the Knicks should want to face the Spurs. Not the greatest take, in hindsight. I assumed that San Antonio’s youth and mounting fatigue after a grueling three rounds would make them less formidable than the defending champion Thunder. Furthermore, many of these young Spurs had never played so many games without a break, counting both the regular season and the postseason. After watching them lay out OKC on the road in a closeout game, I should probably surrender my sportswriting license.

Now I’m a little worried that the Knicks have had too much time off. It wouldn’t astonish me if New York loses Game One. They’ve played just eight games in the past month, and while that absolutely keeps them fresh, allows for injury recovery, etc., I wonder how they can maintain their game conditioning. Playing 40+ minutes of NBA basketball is different from 40 minutes on a stationary bike. You’ll recall that they were pretty rusty early in Game One against Cleveland after nine days’ rest. They fell behind by 22 points before their amazing, miraculous, one-for-the-ages comeback to win in overtime.

Excuse me while watch that fourth quarter and overtime again.

Phew, I’m back. Needed a shower after that. . . . Yeah, so, this break between Game Seven and the Finals might actually be the perfect length for San Antonio—long enough to get healthy and prepare for its opponent, short enough not to lose momentum—while eight days off might not be ideal for New York.

Question for you: Has there been any word on De’Aaron Fox’s high-ankle sprain? He seemed really limited in the Thunder series, but I’d imagine he’s getting better all the time (forgive the obligatory Beatles reference). How do you feel when Castle plays lead guard? I recall he had an 11-assist, 11-turnover double-double in Game One of the WCF.

J.R.

Your request for an Official Sportswriting License from the Guild of Legitimate Sportswriters was approved? Lucky! I guess I shouldn’t wonder; you live in New York state after all. Must be nice to cover the largest media market in the hemisphere. Meanwhile, we small market folk have to make do with the sportswriting licenses we find at the bottoms of a cereal boxes. But that didn’t stop me from getting mine laminated and displaying it proudly in my home office workstation right next to my typewriter, my dogeared copy of the AP Stylebook, and my horn-rimmed glasses with the old prescription that I only use to focus the sun to burn ants after the Spurs lose. 

As for the Knicks’ Game 1 comeback win, there is no shame in re-re-watching those recaps, particularly when you have so much time to wait before your team can generate new highlight reels. I’m only a couple days removed from Game 7, and I found myself going down the rabbit hole of one video after another and had to tear myself away when you messaged me to say it was my turn to write. That said, isn’t it interesting that both the Knicks and the Spurs had to endure overtime in the first game of their conference final series? Makes me wonder what other kinds of similarities there are to be uncovered over the next two and a half weeks.

In order to answer your question about any news concerning the condition of Fox’s ankle, I need to introduce you to the Spurs media landscape. This isn’t like the Big Apple where the media is strong enough to get a coach fired if they don’t get complete enough answers to their questions. In San Antonio, the tenure of the head coach doesn’t rely on anything except the good will of the owner, and that good will has essentially been granted to Gregg Popovich for life. (In case you don’t know, Popovich is still the president of basketball operations which means that he is the one in charge of hiring the general manager. In other words, Pop named his successor.) In this environment, we find out about the news concerning injuries at the same time that everyone else does: an hour and 15 minutes before tip off. So, no, there’s no additional word outside of our own speculation surrounding what kind of advanced treatment he’s receiving. (No need to apologize for Beatles references. I love the Fab Four.)

My feelings about Castle are not particularly complicated. Rookies aren’t known for being able to avoid turnovers, and Stephon is no exception. His exceptional qualities are so many and varied that I happily classify the turnovers as the price for entry. I remember hearing Steve Kerr, at the beginning of the Golden State dynasty, discuss the Warriors’ turnovers in terms that I’d never heard a coach use before. He said something to the effect that the team was at its best when the ball moved, and he would prefer that his players made mistakes while passing for advantage, as opposed to mistakes of passing omission. It sounded revolutionary at the time because Pop always considered turnovers an existential threat. Castle turns it over less frequently when Fox is out there to calm things down. The problem at the beginning of the Thunder series was Fox‘s absence which hopefully won’t happen again. 

For my next queries, I have to go back to the All-Star game for the set up. Wemby and KAT played together and Victor got quite upset about more than one of Towns’ … defensive choices. Much seemed to be made about Wemby’s body language with people interpreting it as him blaming KAT for the loss. This also seemed to play into a reputation for a certain lack of focus on defense in high leverage moments. 

So my questions are: is this reputation earned, what forms do his miscues take, and are you concerned about how he’ll handle the kind of complex and fluid defensive schemes that success in the Finals requires?

R.R.

Ah, yes, I heard tales of sportswriters sharing malteds with Gregg Popovich on a bench outside the Alamodome while watching tumbleweeds roll by. Meanwhile, in the metropolis, writers interviewed players in the Champagne Room at Scores (allegedly). Alas, everyone’s too brand-conscious for such extracurricular hijinks these days, or at least they don’t invite me along for the fun.

True confession: I loved Pop as a coach. He was a gruff, fundamentals-focused skipper like Thibs, who deserves credit for laying the foundation that made this Finals appearance possible. Pop always seemed both perfectly suited to San Antonio and an odd fit. He got far more rope than he would have in New York thanks to the small market and his winning record, yet he was also outspoken, unconcerned about offending the season-ticket-holder base. We saw one aspect of the man in front of the camera. The fact that former players like Tim Duncan are helping him recover from his stroke speaks volumes about his character (and theirs).

On the subject of injuries, the Knicks are notoriously tight-lipped as well. We may never know how Mitchell Robinson broke his finger. If Leon Rose & Co. hadn’t done such a tremendous job building the roster, they’d be pilloried for their silence. I believe Leon has sat for one interview in six years as president of basketball operations. Try getting away with that in any other city, or any other profession.

In my Game Two preview of the Eastern Conference Finals, I wrote something like, “Lord Silver must be smiling.” Early on, both conference finals looked destined to be epic when each began with an overtime thriller. Then the Cavs folded like laundry. While we were ecstatic that New York steamrolled the next three games, there wasn’t much drama to it.

The Finals should be a helluva show. I wouldn’t be surprised if both teams rip off a 15-point run every game, but a blowout either way feels unlikely–if the teams take turns, winning one, losing one, etc. My family and I live about three hours from the city, though my son in Brooklyn insists we’d be safer farther away during the Finals—maybe bunkered in an Airbnb in Buffalo. If the Knicks win, the fans might steal the Statue of Liberty. If they lose, City Hall could burn to the ground.

Regarding Castle’s turnovers: I’m too lazy to look it up, but Mike Brown recently explained why some turnovers are better than others. His logic shared the spirit of your Steve Kerr reference. Still, 11 giveaways is an Ooof. I hope Stephon will be as generous to the Knicks. You’re right, though; with Fox back, Castle will have fewer opportunities to cough up the rock.

Here’s the thing about Towns. Knicks fans have pulled out copious amounts of hair over two types of fouls: Karl’s occasional brain-fart foul and, worse, his hook-on-the-drive foul. His teammates didn’t care for them, either. You could see the blood drain from their faces when he hooked his way into another offensive infraction and then argued that he was the victim.

During this 11-game winning streak, however, Karl has played with discipline. We pray it continues. If he gets into foul trouble early against the Spurs, New York will be in trouble. Why? Mitch hasn’t exactly wowed us this postseason and has claimed to be dealing with mental health issues. Add a broken finger and he’s a real wildcard. Ariel Hukporti is the team’s third-string center. If you haven’t heard of him, there’s a reason for that.

Cleveland’s size neutralized Point-KAT early on in the conference finals. New York still won the battle in the paint, however, and pushed the pace to great effect. This series will be different, of course. We expect that Mitch Johnson will strategize to limit KAT, points in the paint will be hard won, and the Spurs will have springier legs than the Cavs, but we’re also sure that Mike Brown knows all this and will plan accordingly. The Knicks have so many offensive weapons, a stifled KAT just means that one of the other guys gets to eat.

I’m curious what similarities, and differences, you’ve seen between Johnson and Pop. And finally, what’s your pick for the series? Who wins, and in how many games?

J.R. 

The best description I have of Mitch Johnson is that he’s an updated version of Pop. There are so many similarities between them that it’s easier to describe the differences. Pop was famously against ever giving another team points. He lost a number of games over the years because he wouldn’t foul when up three, which allows the opponent to tie with a three and win in overtime. Johnson has ended my agony by handling end game strategy more to my liking. Also, San Antonio’s defense is far more modern than it was toward the end of Pop’s tenure. 

Before I make a prediction, I have to address the Jose Alvarado situation: SA’s coaches better have the guys trained up on his gambits so he can’t create extra possessions with his wonderful sneakiness. Also, there’s the fact that we haven’t yet discussed the player who’s guaranteed the championship ring this year, Jeremy Sochan. Just putting this here for the moment, so we remember to chop it up before the series is over. 

Now to the series: I like the Spurs in 6, but I could see them winning in 7 or 5 depending how things break. First, they have the rust/rest early advantage. Second, I don’t think the Knicks have had to face the same quality of opponents that the Spurs have had to overcome and the adjustment to the level of play might be worth something in a series. Third, if San Antonio can keep Wemby off KAT and near the basket, then his ability to lock down the paint throws a major wrench into New York’s offense. 

So there you have it; I hate making predictions and you got one out of me. Anyway, here’s to an entertaining series opener, and I’ll see you on the other side!

R.R.

May the best team win, and may The Extender remember that he has a grand riding on the Knicks!