New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby has made extraordinary progress in NBA Finals MVP odds, pushing into second place behind his teammate, Jalen Brunson.
The latest NBA Finals MVP odds from DraftKings Sportsbook have Anunoby second at +210 to Brunson’s -115.
Key Takeaways
Anunoby was around +5,000 earlier in the series.
Current odds suggest he has a 32.3% chance of winning the award.
Victor Wembanyama claimed that “everyone knows” the Spurs will come back to win the series.
Brunson opened the series second in Finals MVP odds behind San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. Brunson quickly climbed into the lead after the Knicks took a 2-0 series lead and remains on top of the board with his team up 3-1.
Anunoby, formerly an afterthought in the conversation, has closed from around +5,000 to his current line of +210. Using the implied probability of his odds, Anunoby has a 32.3% chance of winning the award, while Brunson still has a 53.5% chance.
The 28-year-old Anunoby put up 33 points in Game 4, which ended in a Finals-record 29-point comeback for the Knicks. He also blocked De’Aaron Fox’s shot with less than 15 seconds remaining, and then scored the game-winning bucket by tipping in a missed three from Brunson.
“He's been clutch. He's the guy that's actually brought [the Knicks] back from being down,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello said. “I think he's got a big shot to win MVP. I really do. We had him at 4-to-1 after the game the other night. Now he's down to +210, so they're loving him right now to win the MVP.”
Anunoby’s raw stats (23.8 points, four rebounds) aren’t as impressive as Brunson’s (29.5 points, five assists, 4.5 rebounds). However, he’s played excellent defense, produced clutch moments, and shot the ball incredibly efficiently, making 58% of his field goals and 55.6% of his three-pointers.
Finals MVP odds contenders
Wembanyama follows Brunson and Anunoby in NBA Finals MVP odds at +390.
On Friday, he boldly declared that “everyone knows” the Spurs are going to win the Finals. That would require them to become the second team to recover from a 3-1 deficit in the championship round, with the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers being the only team to have accomplished that feat.
Wemby on if the Spurs believe they can come back and win the Finals:
Bringing the Spurs back would almost assuredly guarantee that Wembanyama would win Finals MVP. Nobody on his team is shorter than +25,000 in odds, that player being Stephon Castle.
Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns sits between Wembanyama and Castle in odds at +4,000. He looked like the best player on his team in Games 1 and 2, although he was a relative no-show in Games 3 and 4.
Game 5 betting odds
DraftKings reported that Game 4 of the Finals was the sportsbook’s most-bet game in its history. Game 5 will see the series return to San Antonio, where the Knicks won the first two games of the series as underdogs.
Despite those results, and the Spurs trailing in the series 3-1, DraftKings has the home team as a 5.5-point favorite. That line rests between where it did in Games 1 and 2, for which they were 4.5- and 6.5-point favorites.
At DraftKings, 73% of bets and 68% of the handle in the spread market are backing the Knicks. Meanwhile, 59% of tickets and 82% of the money is also on the Knicks in the moneyline market, currently priced at -192 for the Spurs and +160 for the Knicks.
The San Antonio Spurs have slapped a ticket restriction on NBA Finals games in a pathetic bid to keep New York fans from flooding the Frost Bank Center.
Knicks faithful trying to get into tonight’s Game 5 contest – which could hand New York its first NBA title in 53 years – are being greeted with a warning from Ticketmaster.
“Frost Bank Center is located in San Antonio, Texas . Sales to this event will be restricted to customers residing within a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center,” the note reads.
The San Antonio Spurs are trying to prevent Knicks fans from attending Game 5. NBAE via Getty Images
“Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside of a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center will be canceled without notice and refunds given. Please note there is a 4 seat ticket limit for transactions through the venue.”
The cheapest ticket to the game as of early Saturday was just over $1,000 while the most expensive seat for the potentially historic game clocked in at about $43,000.
Those who have already purchased a ticket may still be out of luck — with Ticketmaster stating that any out of towners with tickets will have them refunded and canceled without notice.
“The 150 mile radius restriction introduced during the Playoffs remains in place throughout the NBA Finals,” The Spurs told The Post. “This allows us to continue prioritizing local fans across San Antonio, Austin, and the surrounding communities.”
Basketball fans were incensed by the flagrant party foul.
“So the lifelong Spurs fan who moved somewhere else in our huge state is barred. The Knicks fan sensing history tonight can’t go. This is stupid,” radio host Mark Davis wrote on X.
Game 5 is being played at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. NBAE via Getty Images
“That’s bulls–\t. Spurs are scared and know they’re going to lose so they resort to these tactics. Deal with it like adults,” X user Pebbles wrote.
“This can’t be real? Is this even legal,” author and New Jerseyan Phil Ruzzo wrote on X.
Even New York Gov. Kathy Hochul blew the whistle.
“Knicks fans finally get within one game of a championship and their reward is having their tickets canceled? Thousands of New Yorkers bought tickets, booked flights, and made plans in good faith. Ticketmaster and the Spurs should reverse this decision and let the fans who bought those seats keep them. Until then, on behalf of Knicks fans everywhere, I’m calling foul,” Hochul wrote in an X post.
The Spurs, making their last stand after the Knicks miracle Game 4, tried to encourage their deflated and regional fanbase with a statement on Friday to justify the mass of Knicks fans expected at the possibly decisive game.
The Post reported that nearly 50 percent of tickets had been purchased by fans from the New York/New Jersey area. Getty Images
“We’re excited about the energy and support our fans have brought throughout this Finals run and look forward to Game 5,” the org said.
“Tickets may be transferred or resold multiple time safer their initial purchase through a variety of channels,” the statement, reported by News 4 San Antonio continued. “That’s why the location of the original purchaser based on billing address does not always necessarily reflect who ultimately attends the game.”
“Throughout the season, Playoffs and Finals, we have encouraged Season Ticket Members to keep tickets in the hands of SPurs fans whenever possible,” the statement read.
However some on social media pointed out the residency restriction practice has been in place throughout the playoffs due to the Knicks fans domination of opponents’ home courts.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, who the Knicks swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, also tried and failed to maintain home court advantage — pulling notable Knick fan Fat Joe’s courtside seats at Rocket Arena for Game 4.
Welcome to Inside the Suns, your weekly deep-down analysis of the current Phoenix Suns team. Each week, the Fantable — a round table of Bright Siders — gives their takes on the Suns’ latest issues and news.
Fantable Questions of the Week
Q1: A case can be made that the true potential for this Suns team is not known (mostly due to injuries), and making big roster changes this offseason could be a mistake. Do you agree?
GuarGuar: I agree we were so hurt during the season last year that it was hard to build a consistent system. There’s a case to be made that better health and continuity could bump us up to a top-5 seed and a potential second-round run in the playoffs. I do believe if we are healthier with this same group, we will be better than last year. I have faith in the rookies improving and a better on-court team chemistry.
Ashton: I have been leaning more and more into running it back as much as possible, but I understand the arguments for making major and minor shifts. Does anyone remember when basketball was fun? All you have to do is see the game. Not playing cap gymnastics and advanced math equations. If the owner wanted to burn a money hole in his pocket, so be it. I just want to watch the game as a fan!
But, now, I think frugality is the Suns’ best option. Stay under the repeater tax, and yes, the fans will probably not get the best product on the floor for next season. Let the MI build up for the 2028 season, where he can light his wallet on fire. I can wait.
OldAz: This sounds to me like “copium” for those that had hopes of a major makeover and then read John’s more realistic offseason article and have decided running it back is probably what will happen. On the other hand, it may very well be true. This entirely hinges on how Jalen Green and Booker finally mesh when both are playing 30 minutes a game.
We saw flashes of Green’s athleticism, and since he had no real injury concerns until last season, there is certainly reason to hope he will be more available next season, and it is certainly possible that a backcourt of Booker and Green provides a diverse enough offensive threat to take the focus off the other. It also may be more of the same from the last 3 seasons, where all the money spent on the backcourt (and extra rotation level guards on the roster) limits the options of getting longer, younger, and more athletic along the front court.
Rod: I agree to a certain point. No more wild swings at big names that could just as easily backfire as improve the team. The Suns just don’t have the assets to make a trade for a big-name player who doesn’t also come with some baggage (like Ja) or flaws of some sort that make them available at something of a bargain price. Keep the team mostly intact and give these guys at least half of the upcoming season to see how it all gels together this year before doing anything drastic.
Q2: There’s a lot of talk about the Suns possibly moving up in this year’s draft. If they do so, would you prefer they get a late 1st round pick or an early second-rounder?
GuarGuar: I know the early second would save some money compared to a late 1st but I really am indifferent as to what route they decide to take. I just hope we can continue our late draft magic and find another quality player in the back half of the draft. We don’t have many other avenues to improve the team.
Ashton: I was penning my comments on this question, and Kellan Olson dropped a very in-depth article over on Arizona Sports on this very topic. It turns out we agree, but he introduced points that I have not even considered. At the risk of plagiarizing, I wanted to highlight a few of his points that caught my attention.
Suns can now use cash considerations because they are under the second apron to package with the 47th pick. That is about $3.5 million left to move up into the 30th range of the draft.
What used to be a solid second-rounder pick is now a late first-rounder due to pre- and post-NIL. I particularly like this observation, as I have mentioned the same in comments.
Picks in the early thirties have a higher chance of success in recent years to pan out.
I can’t do the article justice with just those three bullet points, but I would avoid the guaranteed money involved with a first-round pick, so I clearly side with trading up into the second round. That, and I am not sure what it would take to get a first-round pick. Perhaps the 47th and Suns-owned 2029 second-round pick? That pick is going to be valuable.
OldAz: I am far from a draft expert, so I don’t know what the incremental difference is between a player in the mid 20’s and #47, but it sure feels like the odds of NBA prospects at any draft position making it are better correlated to the organization making the pick and developing the player than it does to their draft position.
I remain hopeful that the Suns are becoming an organization that makes better picks at all spots, and then is more successful in developing (and hopefully playing) those prospects. If this becomes true, then I am not sure it matters, but if BG sees someone he wants, then I just hope the “juice is worth the squeeze” and the cost to move up makes sense.
Rod: On most occasions, I’d say that the higher the pick, the better, but maybe not this year. With the financial constraints they have to work under, a high 2nd round pick (with a lower, non-guaranteed salary) could work out best. As indications are, the Suns aren’t planning any big roster changes this offseason, so I wouldn’t want to add another player for a guaranteed salary that might mostly just occupy bench and cap space.
If there’s someone on their radar who they’re really high on and believe won’t make it to the 2nd round but is likely to be there late in the 1st, then I’d be okay with it. So far, Gregory’s been good at moving up in the draft far enough to get a player he’s wanted. If the Suns move up again this year, I’ll be good with either a late 1st or an early second, though, as I believe that the front office has gotten pretty good at planning their strategies out in advance.
Q3: The NBA Summer League is less than a month away. Maluach and Fleming aren’t just likely to play, they’re likely going to the main guys on that team. Given that role, what would you like to see from each during those games?
GuarGuar: I’d like to see Fleming be the offensive star of the team and be aggressive. He’s the biggest key to our season next year, in my opinion. We desperately need him to make a leap. For Maluach, I’m hoping to see an improvement offensively and overall, him just looking way more comfortable. I’m excited to watch them both.
Ashton: Last I checked (NBA.com), the Summer League schedule wasn’t even released yet. Plus, we have no idea which team will be drafting whom in a couple of weeks. What I want to see is good player-versus-player matchups at the C and PF positions.
So does KM get to draw Flagg, or the top two centers in the 2026 draft in Aday Mara and Jayden Quaintance? Okay, that last one was more for the ASU fans on the board. I can’t even remember the last time he played.
Does Sheer get to play against Boozer, Nate Ament, or Yaxel Lendeborg? Granted, I am naming a lot of first-year rookies, but my point is that I want to see them grow and dominate competition (if not straight up posterize them.
But also keep in mind, dear readers, that Summer League really is more about stat hogging, guard play, and less about team play that gets the ball to the bigs.
OldAz: Don’t get hurt is like 7 or 8 of the top 10 things I would like to see from them. The others include not looking overwhelmed by the pace of play, dominating other players who are not yet at the NBA level, and showing so much in a game or two that they pull them and move on. I think both showed that they are close to NBA-ready last season, so I just don’t want them hurt by some wild kid trying to go nuts and make a roster.
Rod: What I most hope to see from both of them is aggressiveness, on both ends of the court, and some leadership. For Fleming, a little over 60% of his FGAs last season were 3s. I want to see more from him on offense than camping out at the three-point line to take those shots. 27.9% of his shots were within 3 feet of the basket, but I’m hoping that he’s working on developing something of a mid-range game too. If he can become more of an all-around threat offensively, I don’t see any way Ott can keep him on the bench for more than necessary rest breaks.
For Maluach, I just want to see him more confident and decisive on both ends of the court. Per 36 minutes, he was the team’s best shot blocker last season, and I want that reputation to grow. Part of that is knowing when to go for the block and when not to do so and keep your feet on the ground. If he can master that part of the game, opponents will start thinking twice about even challenging him. I’d love to see some progress from him offensively, too, but I’d be super happy to see him someday become the next Dikembe Mutombo, wagging his finger at guys who try to slip a shot by him at the rim.
As always, many thanks to our Fantable members for all their extra effort this week!
Suns Trivia/History
On June 13, 1993, the Suns were down 0-2 to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals after losing Games 1 and 2 at home in America West Arena. The series moved to Chicago Stadium, where the Suns pulled off a 129-121 triple overtime win behind Dan Majerle’s team-high 28 points, a 24-point, 19-rebound game by Charles Barkley, and a 25-point, 9-assist night by Kevin Johnson. Johnson also set a Finals record by playing 62 minutes, and teammate Dan Majerle set a mark that still stands by playing 59 minutes without committing a personal foul. This was only the 2nd time in NBA history that a Finals game went into three overtimes, the first was played in 1976 by the Suns and Celtics in the Suns’ first trip to the NBA Finals.
On June 13, 2021, with a 125-118 win, the Suns completed a 4-0 sweep of the Denver Nuggets in their Western Conference Semifinals playoff series. It was their first playoff sweep since they swept the San Antonio Spurs 4-0 in the Western Conference Semis back in 2010. It was also only the third 7-game playoff series sweep in team history. (The Suns also had 4 more first-round series sweeps, but those were back when they were still best-of-five series.)
On June 17, 1992, the Suns traded Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry to the Philadelphia 76ers for Charles Barkley. As stated in one article following up on that trade, “The Suns didn’t actually acquire Barkley from the Sixers, they stole him.”
Important Future Dates
Mid-June (date TBD) – Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents (following the Finals) June 23 – NBA Draft First Round, 8 ET (ABC/ESPN) June 24 – NBA Draft Second Round, 8 ET (ESPN) June 30 – Teams can begin negotiations with all free agents July 1 – Official start of the 2026-27 league year and moratorium period July 6 – Moratorium ends, official free agent contract signings can begin July 9-19 – NBA 2K Summer League 2026 in Las Vegas Late September (dates TBD) – NBA Training Camps open
There’s an angel looking out for the New York Knicks.
Beatrice Reilly-Jordon, a Staten Island widow and devoted Knicks fan, left a bit of her late husband’s ashes on an empty seat at Madison Square Garden — and her family believes his spirit has been lifting the Knicks as they strive for their first championship in 53 years.
“She sprinkled a little on an empty seat next to her at Madison Square Garden recently, so he could enjoy the game with her, watching from heaven,” the couple’s daughter Domonique told The Post.
Beatrice Reilly-Jordon and her late husband Dave Jordon were – and still are – the ultimate Knicks fans. Beatrice Jordon/Facebook
“He loved the Knicks so much and so does she. Like my mom says, he’s the angel on their shoulders.”
The family didn’t mention which game Dave’s ashes attended, but his powers from above seem to have worked their magic — the Knicks are one win away from sports immortality.
If the Knicks can close out the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 on Saturday in Texas, they will end their 53-year championship drought — and Beatrice believes Dave will be right there for every second of it, she told SIlive.com.
Dave Jordan, a US Army veteran who later worked in health care, died of cancer in 2022, three months before his 69th birthday. Ever since, Reilly-Jordon, 61, leaves a special chair open for Dave when she watches games on TV.
Dave Jordon had a special chair where he would cheer on his team from home. Matthew Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc./Facebook
“There’s my chair, because you know, you always need a chair when a person’s not here,” she told the outlet.
The empty seat is a painful reminder of loss, but also a symbol of a love story death could not erase.
“I’m sorry my husband won’t be here, but he’s still here. He’s in the Garden right now,” she added. “And he’s going to watch it with us.”
The Knicks weren’t just a favorite team for the couple. They were woven into the fabric of their marriage.
Nearly 40 years ago, when their romance was just beginning, MSG became the backdrop for countless memories.
“We started off going to Knicks games together,” she recalled to the Staten Island-based paper. “He said he never went to a Knicks game with anyone, did I want to go?
“And I said yes. It became our thing to go to the Garden.”
The couple began dating by going to Knicks games at Madison Square Garden. Beatrice Jordon/Facebook
Then came the devastating diagnosis that changed everything.
As Dave’s health deteriorated, Beatrice stood by his side through every agonizing moment, caring for the man she loved as his condition worsened.
“It was beyond awful,” she said. “I took care of him the whole time. Fed him. We were together for more than 34 years.”
When Dave died on Dec. 18, 2022, the grief was so overwhelming, she couldn’t even bring herself to watch the team they had loved together for decades, and the TV stayed off.
But over time, the family’s heartbreak turned into determination.
Fans at Madison Square Garden watch Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10. NBAE via Getty Images
Surrounded by three daughters and an enormous extended family of siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Beatrice’s loved ones refused to let her give up something that had meant so much to both her and Dave, according to the outlet.
“My godbrothers said, ‘No, you have to. You know Dave wants you to go see the Knicks. You can’t stop doing what you normally do,” she said.
Eventually, the family bought her a ticket, recently sending her back to MSG for the first time since losing her husband.
What happened next became one of the most emotional moments of her life.
“At the game, I brought my husband’s ashes with me,” she told SILive. “And I was in section 224, and I sprinkled my husband, and I said, ‘Dave, you’re here with me.’”
As Knicks fans dream of a long-awaited championship, Beatrice has a message for everyone watching the 2026 Finals.
“He’s right on top of them — an angel on their shoulders — and they’re going to do it this year,” she said.
For most NBA teams, a uniform unveiling is a relatively simple affair. The team releases a few photos. Social media argues for 48 hours. Some people love them. Some people hate them. A few months later everyone has moved on and the jerseys just become part of the routine.
For the Minnesota Timberwolves, this past week’s unveiling felt different. Partially because the jerseys and logo had already leaked online days before the official reveal, taking some of the surprise out of the process. By the time the team officially pulled back the curtain, most Wolves fans had already spent the better part of a week debating fonts, trim packages, color schemes, and whether the black uniform was worthy of being mentioned in the same sentence as the legendary Black Trees jersey.
Even with the surprise element largely gone, however, one thing became immediately apparent once the dust settled. Wolves fans overwhelmingly seem to agree on one thing: These are a massive upgrade.
After nearly a decade of what many fans affectionately, or not so affectionately, referred to as the “sailor suit” era, Minnesota has finally returned to looking like the Minnesota Timberwolves again.
And honestly? It was overdue.
The uniforms the Wolves have worn since 2017 were never terrible. They were clean. They were perfectly acceptable NBA uniforms. The problem was that they never felt particularly Timberwolves. They felt like something generated by a focus group tasked with creating the safest possible basketball jersey.
They lacked personality. They lacked history. Most importantly, they lacked any meaningful connection to the eras that fans actually loved. The new look changes that.
What stands out immediately is how intentionally the organization blended together multiple chapters of franchise history rather than simply recreating one specific era. Instead of choosing between the original expansion-era identity, the Kevin Garnett years, or the modern look, Minnesota essentially took pieces from all three and built something that feels familiar without feeling like a pure throwback.
The original blue, green, and white color scheme is back. That alone feels significant. For longtime Wolves fans, those colors are synonymous with the franchise’s roots. Before the redesigns, before the multiple rebrands, before the highs and lows and playoff heartbreaks, those colors are where everything started.
There’s something comforting about seeing them return. At the same time, the Wolves didn’t simply copy and paste their 1989 uniforms. The jersey typography carries clear influences from the Kevin Garnett era. Not to the extreme degree of the late-90s and early-2000s uniforms, but enough to evoke that era without becoming a nostalgia act. The black uniform takes things a step further with the inclusion of the trees trim, perhaps the most iconic visual element in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the logo itself feels like an intentional bridge between generations. The howling wolf profile remains recognizable from the most recent logo iteration, but there’s also a noticeable callback to the original Wolves “Old Shep” identity. It’s almost as if someone took the current logo and ran it through an old-school filter, giving it just enough of that original expansion-era DNA without sacrificing modern design principles.
Too often teams either go completely retro or completely modern. Minnesota found a middle ground. The organization essentially looked at every era of Timberwolves basketball and asked a simple question: “What parts actually worked?” Then they built around those answers.
Of course, the next question immediately became which uniform fans liked best. The Canis Hoopus poll results were fairly decisive.
The blue uniform emerged as the clear favorite, and honestly, it’s not hard to understand why.
The royal blue jersey is gorgeous. It’s vibrant without being loud. The green wordmark and numbering pop beautifully against the blue backdrop. It immediately evokes the original road uniforms from 1989 while still feeling contemporary enough to fit today’s NBA aesthetic. Perhaps most importantly, it feels uniquely Timberwolves. You could glance at it from across an arena and instantly know which team is wearing it.
In an NBA increasingly filled with alternate uniforms, city editions, statement editions, and designs that sometimes seem determined to hide team identities entirely, there’s something refreshing about a uniform that unapologetically screams “Minnesota Timberwolves.”
The black uniform finished second in the voting, and this is where things become a little more complicated. Last year’s Black Trees throwbacks were one of the most anticipated uniform releases the franchise has had in years. Those jerseys occupy a unique place in Wolves history. For an entire generation of fans, they are the Timberwolves uniform.
Kevin Garnett wore them. The franchise experienced its greatest success wearing them. They’re iconic.
Which is exactly why this new black uniform faces an almost impossible challenge. It’s competing against perfection. The updated version isn’t bad. Far from it. But personally, I find myself agreeing with many fans who feel something is slightly off.
For me, it’s the addition of the blue accents. The original black Trees uniforms worked because they were remarkably clean. Black. White. Green. That’s it. Simple. Elegant. Timeless.
The new version introduces blue striping and blue outlining around the numbers and wordmark. It isn’t enough to ruin the look, but it does create a sense that the design is trying to add something extra to something that was already complete. It’s like remaking a classic movie. Even if the remake is good, you’re still inevitably comparing it to the original. That’s a battle most remakes lose.
The white uniform finished third, although that says more about the strength of the blue jersey than any weakness in the white version. In many ways it feels like a cousin of the throwback uniforms Minnesota wore during the franchise’s 35th anniversary celebration. Those jerseys were a little more faithful to the original home design, while this updated version incorporates some modern tweaks.
Personally, I have the white and blue uniforms nearly tied. They’re essentially mirror images of one another, and both succeed because they embrace the franchise’s original identity without becoming trapped by it.
Ultimately, ranking the three uniforms feels almost beside the point. The bigger takeaway is that Minnesota finally has a cohesive visual identity again. For years the franchise felt stuck between eras.
Not anymore.
While jerseys don’t win basketball games, they do matter. Sports are emotional. Fans connect to imagery. They connect to memories. They connect to eras. A great uniform becomes part of a team’s identity. It becomes part of the story.
When you think of Jordan, you picture the Bulls red.
When you think of the Showtime Lakers, you picture gold.
When Wolves fans think about Kevin Garnett, they think about the Trees.
Now Minnesota has an opportunity to create a new visual era, and the reality is that these uniforms will likely become associated with Anthony Edwards. These aren’t just the jerseys for next season. These are potentially the jerseys of Ant’s prime. The jerseys that will appear in highlight packages for years. The jerseys that will define the next chapter of Timberwolves basketball.
And who knows? Maybe someday they’ll become something even more significant. Maybe years from now we’ll look back at these uniforms the same way fans currently look back at the black Trees era. Maybe they’ll become synonymous with the greatest stretch of basketball the franchise has ever played. Maybe these are the uniforms Anthony Edwards is wearing when he finally brings the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Minnesota.
That remains to be seen.But for now, after years of looking like a team trapped in an identity crisis, the Timberwolves finally look like themselves again.
And that’s a pretty good place to start.
Speaking of the Larry O’Brien Trophy… Hopefully Karl-Anthony Towns will be hoisting it tonight! If you’re looking for one last bit of NBA betting action before the off-season begins, FanDuel Sportsbook has you covered for your Finals wager!
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the game against the New York Knicks during Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026 at Madison in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Today is Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs. New York leads the series 3-1 and the series heads back to San Antonio. Watch it at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC (WJLA-TV in the DMV). Yes, I know I posted this in the morning.
In this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, you can definitely see that a clear majority of NBA fans nationwide who responded that they are following the NBA Finals more than the draft. But as Washington Wizards fans, we are definitely in that 26 percent minority. Same with Utah Jazz fans.
While we are in the minority, that doesn’t mean that we don’t care about the Finals. There will be a lot of money changing hands during the game. The odds are in favor of the Spurs extending this series to a Game 6 per FanDuel* and others.
Derrick White reaches in to try to steal the ball from Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham during a game at TD Garden. | Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Bill Sy: We’re less than a month away from the NBA Draft and the offseason. The rumor mill has been churning with trade targets like Peyton Watson and Trey Murphy III heading to Boston to Jaylen Brown being part of a Giannis Antetokounmpo deal. There hasn’t been any indication that the Celtics front office is ready for a big swing, but Brad Stevens could still make substantial changes to the championship core of the roster. If the Jays are untouchable, that could mean dealing Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard, or even Derrick White. Unfortunately, White might be our biggest chip to play.
Nirav Barman: Derrick is currently the third highest paid player on the roster, taking in a whopping $30.3 million next season, but he’s been pivotal to Boston’s success since joining the team. The Celtics have been in the Finals twice since acquiring White, winning the championship in 2024, and were a Tatum ankle-sprain away from what could have been a third trip in 2023. Derrick has blossomed in Boston, and it becomes hard to see him anywhere else purely off of his relationship with the team and the city.
Bill Sy: Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge DWhite guy and I’ll always be a huge DWhite guy. Despite his shooting struggles this season, I have no doubt that that was just a blip and he’ll make a big comeback next season. However, with two maxed Jays and roster that could use some rebalancing before the front office makes a big push in 2027, White’s salary slot could better be used elsewhere.
BOSTON, MA – MAY 2: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics reacts during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 2, 2026 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Nirav Barman: There’s no question that the Celtics are heading towards crunch time for this core given how hard it’s become to navigate the luxury tax and salary aprons. That being said, there are few players who are both available on the trade market, and possess the skill set which White does. Even if you’re looking to address another area of concern for the team in exchange for Derrick, it’s hard to see the team acquiring a player who provides the same value on a similar deal.
Bill Sy: For a minute, let’s put aside who’s available on the market and concentrate who’s already on the team. A big part of my confidence in even considering trading White was the development and performance of all the young wings in Boston’s bullpen: Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Jordan Walsh, and Ron Harper Jr. Admittedly, you can’t play all those guys at the same time, but I think you can create Derrick’s contributions in the aggregate just as OKC did with Ajay Mitchell, Jared McCain, and Cason Wallace in replacing Jalen Williams.
Nirav Barman: I’m extremely excited to see what our group of young guys can do next season after what they just showed us, but I don’t think they’ve showed us enough to make White expendable just yet. As you said, their current skill sets need to be aggregated to make up for Derrick’s impact. When a game reaches clutch time, you need to have your best five players on the court, and those moments are where Derrick shines the most. JB and JT are guaranteed spots in a closing lineup. If we presume White is traded for a big man, that means there are two spots left between Pritchard and the wings. It’s hard for just one of those guys to fill that role and feel like we’re putting out a better lineup.
Bill Sy: Let’s zoom out a little bit. If we’re going to take Stevens at his word, he’s looking to add rim pressure this summer. Brown led the league in drives per game last season at 19.1. Payton Pritchard trailed behind at 11.9 and in his limited return, Tatum drove to the basket 10.9 times. White? 7.5.
Nirav Barman: It’s true that Derrick doesn’t quite play the way Stevens envisions for the future. However, he’s proven before that he can fit different systems. White fully embraced Mazzulla-ball after joining the Celtics, bumping his 3PA average up from 3.7 per game across 4.5 seasons in San Antonio to 7.0 per game across 4.5 seasons in Boston. There’s no reason why White can’t adjust his shot diet again if the team is looking to drive the ball more.
Bill Sy: The bigger question for me is whether White can be more of an alpha that can make the game a little easier for Brown and Tatum (think Holiday circa 2024) or if he’s the best supporting role player.
Nirav Barman: To your point, I wouldn’t call White an alpha. As great as he is, he doesn’t have the ability to take over games on a consistent basis. That being said, there are only so many slices of the pie available, and it already feels like the world has been trying to drive a wedge between Tatum and Brown because they’re both alphas. Having a high-level supporting role player like Derrick seems to me like the best path to success with the Jays as the foundation.
May 11, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday (21) steals the ball from Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) to end the game in the second half during game five of the second round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Bill Sy: Unlike the Knicks, because we have two max players, we have to be really deliberate with roster construction. And don’t get me wrong. The thought of trading an All-Defense First Teamer from a team with championship aspirations seems silly, but I’m just wondering if we’re not in the same spot we were in with Marcus Smart. At the time, the approach was to surround the Jays with more senior, more proven veterans like Holiday and Porzingis. Now, I’m wondering if we go younger with the Jays in their prime. Could this be those crossroads?
Nirav Barman: It does feel like we’re reaching a point where we’re going to have to make some tough decisions again. The Celtics simply have to improve the roster to keep up with the rest of the top teams. I do think that there are paths to do that which don’t require trading Derrick, though – at least as of now. Boston has a $27.7M TPE from offloading Anfernee Simons, and while they’d have to include some assets to get a good player back, it gives the team a lot more flexibility to address areas of concern while keeping White and allowing the cream of the crop to rise to the top from the selection of young wings. (edited)
Bill Sy: Depending on a handful of team options, the Celtics are projected to enter free agency with a $180-185 million payroll and their first round pick is ticketed for $3 million. Stevens will have the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception and that $27 million TPE at his disposal, but ultimately, they’re most likely going to try and duck under the luxury tax line at $201 million again to restart the repeater. So, in reality, they’ve got about $15-20 million in wiggle room. White’s $30 million slot might need to be in play.
Nirav Barman: Even while toeing the luxury tax line, Boston can’t let money override their on-court success. If the right deal comes around, I definitely think trading Derrick can and should be on the table – he’s well loved, but certainly not untouchable. If the expectation is that the young guys will fill in for him, though, it hasn’t quite gotten to that point yet. Until proven otherwise, which could happen by the trade deadline, Derrick gives the Celtics the best chance at staying competitive.
Bill Sy: I guess my thinking is that White’s $30 million and that $15-20 million are the best tools to makeover the roster. Here’s a very hypothetical trade: let’s say Stevens strikes a sign-and-trade deal with Danny Ainge with Walker Kessler going east and White joining Utah’s backcourt. Then, with the MLE, Coby White replaces Derrick White as Boston’s rim-pressuring point guard. Mazzulla would roll out a rotation of:
Coby White – Sam Hauser – Jaylen Brown – Jayson Tatum – Walker Kessler
Payton Pritchard – Baylor Scheierman – Hugo Gonzalez – Jordan Walsh – Neemias Queta
Ron Harper Jr. – 27th pick – Amari Williams – Luka Garza
Rebalancing the front court and back court with younger players sets them up for the immediate and long-term future.
Nirav Barman: I definitely see the appeal in a trade like that. As you pointed out earlier, Brad Stevens isn’t opposed to swapping a fan favorite for someone with clear potential that’s been stuck on a bad team. I’m sure he’ll be doing his due diligence, but I would find it difficult to make a deal predicated on a potential signing since it could create a bigger void if Boston gets outbid. As of now, the free agent market is pretty sparse for both the Celtics areas of need, PGs and Cs. If the Celtics are able to comfortably address one of those needs, then a Derrick trade could become more viable.
Bill Sy: I will admit after seeing OG Anunoby tip in the Jalen Brunson miss, the first thing I thought about was DWhite rebounding Smart’s miss and forcing a Game 7 against the Heat. Who would want to trade a guy like that?
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 09: Malachi Smith #18 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the second half against the Indiana Pacers at Barclays Center on April 09, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jordan Bank/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Last June, Gonzaga fans had it easy. Whichever team won the NBA Finals, one former Bulldog was bringing home a ring: Andrew Nembhard and the Pacers on one side, Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder on the other. This year it all comes down to one guy: Kelly Olynyk, the Spurs’ lone Zag, going up against a Knicks roster with none. However the series ends, Olynyk gets to say he was part of it.
Five other former Bulldogs wrapped up seasons of their own well before the playoffs started, and each one tells a different story. One of the league’s most dependable big men fought through the toughest injury stretch of his career. Another strung together his best run in years before a foot injury ended things early. One had the best season of his career, full stop, even if the team around him couldn’t capitalize. A rookie went from undrafted to a franchise rookie assist record that had stood for three decades. And a guy who spent three years grinding through the G League finally got the call that stuck.
Domantas Sabonis played 19 games this season, after suiting up at least 70 times in each of his first three years in Sacramento. When he was out there he still looked like himself, averaging 15.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 54.3% shooting. Finding him out there was the issue.
He missed the opener with a preseason hamstring strain, then strung together 11 games at 17.2 and 12.3 to start the year, capped by a season-high 34 points on 14-of-24 shooting at Minnesota on Nov. 15. The next night his left knee gave out, a partial meniscus tear initially written off as soreness. The Kings, already 6-21, played the next 27 games without him, covering all of December and half of January. He returned off the bench against Washington on Jan. 17, then held to a restricted-minutes plan the rest of the month while shooting 62.1%. His final game, Feb. 5 against Memphis, saw him put up 24 points and 15 rebounds in 24 minutes before Sacramento shut him down for surgery.
The Kings finished 22-60, and Sabonis has spent most of the last two years as the centerpiece of someone else’s trade idea, with the Hornets reportedly holding exploratory talks about a deal involving Miles Bridges, Josh Green and a first-round pick. Sabonis says he expects to be back at an “All-NBA level” next season. Where that season is played remains an open question.
Zach Collins | Chicago Bulls | 9.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.5 APG
A wrist fracture from the preseason finale kept Collins out until December, and once he got on the floor, the production looked like nothing he’d done before. Over 10 games he shot 57.8% from the field and 42.9% from three, both career-best marks by a wide margin, averaging 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.4 minutes a night. The Bulls went 6-4 with him in the rotation.
The highlights came in bursts: 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in a win at Charlotte on Dec. 13, a 3-of-3 night from deep at Cleveland a week later, and a 15-point, 19-minute cameo off the bench in a win over Philadelphia on Dec. 27 in which he missed just three shots all night. The next game, against Milwaukee, he logged a season-high 24 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds, his only double-digit rebounding night of the year. He didn’t play again. A sprained right toe turned into season-ending surgery in February.
Collins finishes the year as an unrestricted free agent, his extension from San Antonio having carried him through last year’s midseason trade to Chicago and now run out. Ten games isn’t much to go on, but by efficiency it’s the best stretch of his career. Unfortunately, the run ended before he ever got a chance to build on it.
Andrew Nembhard | Indiana Pacers | 16.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 7.7 APG
With Tyrese Haliburton out for the year recovering from his heartbreaking mid-finals Achilles tear last season, Nembhard took over point guard duties and delivered a career year across the board – 16.9 points and 7.7 assists a game, both well clear of his previous bests, on 44.2% shooting and a career-high 36.1% from three. His shot attempts jumped from 8.3 a game to 13.2, and he started all 57 games he played.
The season opened with trouble. Three minutes into the opener against Oklahoma City, guarding Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he strained his left shoulder and finished with four points in 17 minutes of a double-overtime loss, then missed close to two weeks. Once back, the highlights stacked up: 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting at Cleveland in late November, a 28-point, 12-assist game against Sacramento in a December win, and a season-high 19 assists in a March loss to the Lakers. January was his best month across the board, 48.9% from the field, 40 percent from three, 9.2 assists a night.
But none of it moved the win-loss column much. The Pacers finished 19-63, a year removed from the NBA Finals, and a back and neck issue ended Nembhard’s season early, costing him the final seven games.
Ryan Nembhard | Dallas Mavericks | 6.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 5.3 APG
Nembhard went undrafted in 2025, signed a two-way deal, and spent the first six weeks of the season in spot minutes before a real opportunity opened up. Over a 16-game stretch as a starter he looked like a keeper, peaking on Dec. 2 in Denver with 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and 10 assists, then following it two nights later with 15 points and 13 assists against Miami.
His role shrank through January, still in the rotation but down to 16.5 minutes a night, and by February he’d been pushed out almost entirely, appearing in just two games before a bizarrely miscalculated stretch with the Texas Legends. The roster kept shifting around him and Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg (Anthony Davis dealt to Wizards at the trade deadline, Tyus Jones eventually waived), and on Feb. 28 the Mavericks converted him to a two-year standard contract with a team option for 2026-27.
March and April made the case for why. His minutes climbed back to nearly 30 a night, and the regular-season finale against Chicago was the exclamation point: 15 points, 9 rebounds and 23 assists in a 149-128 win, breaking Jason Kidd’s 31-year-old franchise rookie assist record by six.
The younger Nembhard spent a season doing what he’s always done: demolishing expectations and making all doubters look dumb for underestimating him.
Malachi Smith | Brooklyn Nets | 8.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 3.3 APG (15 games)
After winning WCC Sixth Man of the Year, Malachi Smith went undrafted from Gonzaga. He tthen spent three years working through four different G League affiliates: the Rip City Remix, the Wisconsin Herd, the Memphis Hustle, and finally the Long Island Nets, where he put up 14.4 points on better than 52% shooting this season. That got the attention of Brooklyn’s front office.
He signed two consecutive 10-day contracts in mid-March and made his case over the following nine games, shooting 51.1% from the field and an absolutely absurd 47.1% from three. The NBA run was highlighted by an 18-point night on 7-of-9 shooting against Sacramento on March 23. The Nets converted him to a two-year deal in early April, and his best game followed almost immediately: 19 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists against Milwaukee, a near triple-double in 43 minutes of action. He finished the season averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 48.5/43.5/100 shooting splits.
One detail worth filing away: if you pull up Malachi’s ESPN player page right now, the photo is still him in a Gonzaga jersey. The NBA hasn’t gotten around to a real headshot yet, but the two-year contract’s already signed.
The Spokane to NBA pipeline shows no sign of slowing down for Gonzaga. The 2026-27 roster could feasibly already have three to four future NBA draftees already on the roster, which would be the biggest class the program has ever produced. Massamba Diop, a 7-foot-1 rim protector arriving via Arizona State, is close to a lock. Davis Fogle is a strong maybe after the kind of breakout freshman season that gets pro scouts circling. And if Izan Almansa clears the NCAA’s eligibility hurdles, a big year barreling through the new-look Pac-12 could put him back in the conversation after a near-miss draft process last year. Lots to look forward to once this roster finally, blissfully, reassuringly fills out.
Perhaps it was the pure exhilaration, the adrenaline running high after the Knicks completed the greatest comeback in Finals history.
Maybe it had to do with the reality that the Knicks are now one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought after decades of incompetence.
The euphoric — and even legally problematic at times — celebrations by Knicks fans from the average Joes to Hollywood A-Listers on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning provided just a brief preview of the mayhem that may descend upon New York City on Saturday.
ew York Knicks Celebrations Outside Madison Square Garden. June 11, 2026, New York, USA: NY Knicks fans celebrate the win and get into altercations with the police post game 4 after their close game victory over the Spurs. Adem Wijewickrema/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press / SplashNews.com
For the first time since June 22, 1994, the Knicks take the court Saturday night in San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals needing just one win to claim their third championship.
The Knicks famously failed to do so in two attempts in 1994, losing Games 6 and 7 to the Rockets in heartbreakers.
This time around, thanks to their Game 4 heroics, they have three chances to win one game and wash away the memory of John Starks’ Game 7 to forget.
Should they knock off the Spurs, there surely will be a celebration for the ages.
Post-game celebrations outside Madison Square Garden have become a staple in recent years when the Knicks have been in the playoffs, but these Finals outbursts have felt different.
Fans did not leave Madison Square Garden for some time Wednesday night, showering in every last second from a once-in-a-lifetime win thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics.
“Thank you OG!”
Knicks fans say thank you to OG Anunoby outside MSG after he scored the game winning basket. Presented by Tri State Cadillac #sponsoredpic.twitter.com/0yg1DJ8jIw
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026
The celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Ben Stiller, showcased sheer joy throughout the night while watching courtside and then celebrating after the game.
Clips from outside MSG showed a fan on a bicycle being held in the air, with the fans below surely not feeling any pain while on such a sports high.
They chanted, “Thank you, OG” after his last-minute brilliance, including a block on De’Aaron Fox in the final 15 seconds that set the stage for his later heroics.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026
Fans ran through the streets as cars beeped their horns, not giving a damn about traffic after watching Jalen Brunson finally break through against a tough Spurs defense.
And to think this all happened after a third Finals win.
It’s been 15 years since the last championship by a Big Four New York City sports team — the Giants won Super Bowl 2012, while the Liberty won the WNBA title last year — and the city is waiting to erupt again.
If you give some Knicks fans truth serum, perhaps they would admit they’d rather the Knicks clinch at home in a potential Game 6 on Tuesday night.
Regardless of the venue, should the Knicks finish off the Spurs, Wednesday’s post-game festivities may seem like child’s play.
The City That Never Sleeps will host an all-night party, full of joy and bedlam, that rings out from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Staten Island to Queens and The Bronx.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 04: Brayden Burries #5 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles up the court against the Michigan Wolverines in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks are narrowing down their search for the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
There are only a handful of prospects the Mavericks can choose from, especially with eight teams selecting ahead of them. One player who has been linked to the Mavericks consistently throughout the pre-draft process is Arizona guard Brayden Burries, who was named a top fit for the Mavericks by Bleacher Report analyst Zach Buckley.
“After the rookie season Cooper Flagg just authored, prospects should be lining up at the chance to be one of his long-term running mates,” Buckley wrote. “The Mavs could give Burries that opportunity, but they could also provide the playmaking and scoring support he’ll need right away with Kyrie Irving still on the roster and seemingly in the plans.“
Burries could be the shooting guard of the future for the Mavs, who need someone alongside Irving that can shoot. Putting as many high-level shooters around Flagg should be the goal for the future, and Burries could be the start of that complementary group around their star player.
For every player like Burries, there is someone like Houston guard Kingston Flemings, who might not be exactly what the Mavs need going into the draft.
“A backcourt featuring Flemings and Kyrie Irving would be tiny and exploitable on defense, especially against bigger guard groups,” Buckley wrote.
“There’s also a worry about whether Flemings or Cooper Flagg could summon enough three-point volume for the other to have the breathing room they need. Flemings’ burst only really works in a properly spaced offense, and Dallas was dreadful from three last season (29th in makes, 26th in percentage).”
The Mavericks need to have Irving in mind when building their roster for next season, but he shouldn’t be the priority. That being said, the Mavs aren’t really in position to put a player like Flemings on the roster without adding other pieces to the mix.
If they believe Flemings can be their point guard of the future, they should take him, but it should come with a lot of patience.
Mavs Moneyball community, who are your favorite prospects with the No. 9 overall pick? And who do you want the Mavs to avoid? Let us know in the comments section below.
PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 24: The San Antonio Spurs poses for a team photo as part of the NBA Paris Games 2025 at the Eiffel Tower on January 24, 2025 in Paris, France. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 2026 NBA Finals has received some of the highest viewership in recent NBA history. These Finals are a global event, and as the Spurs continue to connect with their growing international fanbase in their mission to grow the game of basketball throughout the world, they have added watch parties in international markets.
Already, viewership is up 123% from last year boasting 23.2 M viewers. Wednesday night’s matchup at Madison Square Garden was the most watched NBA Finals Game 4 was the most watched since 1998.
Having New York has increased the interest compared to 2025’s small market matchup. And the addition of Victor Wembanyama has added viewers in France. So it makes sense that there will be a Spurs watch party there.
Per a Spurs press release:
“The San Antonio Spurs announced the organization will host free watch parties across multiple international markets for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, June 13 as the team takes on the New York Knicks. The organization will activate free, comprehensive fan experiences for Spurs supporters in Paris, France, and Mexico City, Mexico to come together and root on the Silver and Black at local restaurants and bars in their city.”
Each watch party will feature giveaways, free refreshments and a chance to win Spurs Finals gear.
“Whether our fans are gathering in France, China, Mexico, Texas or around the world, we’re eager to welcome them into our Spurs family,” said RC Buford. “These watch parties create shared experiences that bring our global fanbase closer together and reflect the values of connection, community and belonging that have always defined our organization.”
Sunday, June 14 at 2:30 a.m. CET Belushi’s at Paris Canal 159 Rue de Crimée, 75019 Paris, France
Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. CST Pinche Gringo BBQ Warehouse Calle Lago Iseo 296, Cuidad de Mexico, Mexico
The organization will also support the NBA’s official watch party at NBA HoopPark, K11 Mall in Shenzhen, China.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 12: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks talks to media during 2026 NBA Finals Practice and Media Availability on June 12, 2026 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by David Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Day has arrived, folks.
It’s win-and-chip for the Knicks in Texas.
Here’s the latest from San Antonio, half a day from the most-anticipated tip-off in Knicks history.
The impossible became reality at Madison Square Garden 🤯
Relive every twist, turn, and jaw-dropping moment from the Knicks' historic 29-point Game 4 comeback win in Chasing History presented by @MichelobULTRA before Game 5 tips off Saturday at 8:30pm/et on ABC! pic.twitter.com/2MktvcFQN5
On the need for staying focused with the title one win away:
“The biggest thing is everybody has to stay present. You have to be present. You can’t think about the outcome. It’s about the process, the next play, the next play, the next play. Sometimes you can think about the process, and it not work out. But when you’re playing against other great teams especially, that’s how you have to take it because anybody’s mind can start wandering when you think about the outcome.”
On the Knicks’ maturity keeping heads level:
“Their level of maturity. Obviously, we have some veteran guys on the team. But you can be a veteran and still have a little bit of immaturity about you, as we all know. From top to bottom, this group is pretty mature. That rubs off on the rest of the group. It makes my job easier. We’ve been preaching all year that it’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases, the level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort.”
On avoiding complacency after the historic Game 4 win:
“It is hard. We’re all human. It was hard even in the series that we swept. You win two, three, four, five games in a row, there’s a tendency to relax a little bit. That’s just in life. In your job, you have success for 10 months straight, maybe you feel like, I got this, I know what I’m doing. You’re not as sharp then because everybody’s been patting you on your back and telling you how great you are. Trying to manufacture things to help guys lock in, trying to talk to guys individually so they can continue to talk to their teammates to lock in, all that stuff is huge. Having Pat’s presence around, Pat Ewing, so he can talk to guys to help them lock in from a different vantage point, is all huge, especially during this time and coming off a win like we did last time.”
On the Knicks’ closeout-game mentality:
“We’ve been preaching all year: It’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand anytime you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases. The level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort, because even if you bring your best effort, it may not happen, especially on the road. That’s the only way you have a chance for it to happen.”
On preventing a Game 4 hangover:
“I can’t 100% say, ‘This is what I’m going to do to make them not have the hangover from the win two nights ago.’ The biggest thing is, continuing to preach 0-0. Continuing to preach, ‘Stay present.’ Continuing to preach, ‘Next possession, next possession, next possession,’ and hope the experiences they’ve gone through as a group already, and their maturity — as well as our standards, which they’ve really hung onto all year — will help us lock into this game. It’s going to be hard. San Antonio’s a great team. They’re desperate. I still think they believe. It’s going to be hard for us. But it’s natural for that to creep in a little bit. You just hope that it doesn’t creep in too long throughout the course of the game.”
On Jalen Brunson still not getting enough recognition:
“He definitely has not — or did not — get the attention that he deserved during the regular season. I think he’s a top-three MVP candidate. And when it comes down to those things, his name wasn’t mentioned much.”
On what he learned the most from Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich:
“I’ve been fortunate, blessed, lucky to be a part of some good coaching staffs and be with some great coaches, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, they were guys that went deep into their bench. You keep guys engaged by doing that, and you do develop not just a bench but the team, as well, because guys get used to playing with other guys. I’ve seen it work in the past, and that’s kind of what I thought I wanted to do here.”
On lessons learned from Gregg Popovich:
“That’s a great question. I mean, I’d have to think about it. But, you know, you draw a lot from the people that you’ve worked with in the past—people that you’ve experienced things with. For me, working for Pop, I drew a lot. I feel like I drew a lot from a lot of the guys I’ve worked with, but he always used to say: during the regular season, that’s the time to get up, go crazy on the sidelines and all that stuff, because it’s just one game at a time—you practice and you move on to the next game.”
"Let's play basketball now. Be smart. Stick together. We've come back from worse. Chip away"
On the Knicks’ mindset entering Game 5 with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals:
“Zero-zero.”
On turning the page after Game 4:
“Whenever you win or lose a game, that night, you’re going to think about it, think about the things you’ve done well or what you did wrong, [but] I’ve always told myself when you wake up the next day, it’s time to turn the page. Yes, we won [Game 4], but we still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn. We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to revisit to make sure that we don’t really put ourselves in that position again. But honestly, we still have to continue to have the belief that we’ve had. It’s really important from that aspect.”
On appreciating the opportunity ahead:
“I think I’ve been able to understand what a unique opportunity this is. When you’re doing the things that help you prepare for a game, prepare for moments, put yourself in routines that you’ve done your whole career, your whole life, when it comes game time, you’re ready to go because you put yourself, you put your mind in a position to be ready.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ career and teamming up with him:
“The narrative was placed on him by the outside world. You never really know a person until you meet them face to face, and you see what they say and what their actions are. And being the teammate that he is and seeing his sacrifices and seeing what he’s done his entire career puts him in a position to become a hall of famer. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for the world. And the things that he’s done have been extraordinary, and I’m not really sure how he’s going to respond to me saying all these nice things about him, but he’s one hell of a basketball player, but he’s honestly a better teammate.”
On the Knicks’ approach to Game 5:
“Obviously, when we practice, we have film, we talk about situations, what we have to do. You’re always preparing worst-possible-case scenario. If it happens, we have to prepare for this. Our mindset and focus is on one possession at a time, one play at a time, one quarter at a time. You’re thinking about the now, how you can be better the next possession, how can you turn the page, positive or negative. Regardless of what’s going on, our mindset and approach has to stay the same. I think we’ve done a very good job of that. It’s something that has grown over the season. It’s really important, especially obviously now.”
On not fearing failure:
“I think the one thing that stays constant is I’ve always told myself, and always been taught by my parents, ‘Never be afraid to fail.’ You put yourself in those positions in the summertime when you’re envisioning what’s going on the court, when you’re by yourself on the court. When those opportunities come about, you’re not afraid of the moment because you worked hard enough to where if you do fail, you’re going to learn anyway. You put the confidence you have in everything you do when the lights aren’t on, when no one’s watching.”
“They come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been doing it all playoffs, and we’ve been very up and down with that a lot this year. We have to make sure we come in focus with a great attention to detail, and taking things a possession at a time. If we do that, and we play our style of basketball, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be successful. But we can’t keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. We were fortunate to do that last game — all three of our wins. We’ve got to do a better job of starting games off.”
On representing New York:
“This city is built on toughness, grit, blue-collar people, and I feel like I’m the same person. They can look in the mirror and they can see myself, just because that’s how I look at myself and I just happen to hoop.”
On the Knicks’ belief in themselves:
“I just think we have a belief in ourselves and a belief in our team as a collection. We all had adverse situations independently in our careers and we made it through. And I think if we have that mentality individually and as a team, nothing else matters.”
On preparing for Game 5:
“We know they come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been doing it all playoffs. We’ve been very up and down with that a lot this year. So we’ve got to make sure we come in focused with a great attention to detail and taking things a possession at a time. We know if we do that and we play our style of basketball, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be successful. But we can’t keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. We were fortunate to do that last game — actually, all three games, all three of our wins — but we’ve got to do a better job of starting games off.”
“We’ve got to go in there with the understanding of no comfortability, just really be desperate, execute at a high level. Game-plan discipline has to be at a high level. I’ve said this multiple times: The hardest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season. So we’ve got to be our best version tomorrow.”
On the approach to Game 5:
“We spoke about it multiple times. We’ve got to approach every game like it’s 0-0. We’ve got to have that kind of desperation that it is to win Game 1 of a playoff series. We’ve got to go in there with the understanding of no comfortability, just really be desperate, execute at a high level. Gameplan discipline has to be at a high level.”
On resetting after Game 4:
“Obviously that game is a hardwood classic, something that the NBA has never seen before. But I’ve also seen things, being in that situation, where the joy is at an all-time high and it could be at an all-time low pretty quick. So we understand the magnitude of locking back in, getting back to work. Of course that night, we all enjoyed the shell-shock of what happened, and obviously we were the ones that were part of it. But we all understood the next morning that we had to get back to work, and we had to lock back in, and get ready to find a way to win another one.”
On the Game 4 comeback and concerns going forward:
“Also, in that moment of jubilation [after Game 4], that moment of absolute joy, we have to talk about the elephant in the room — we just didn’t play well at all, and we put ourselves in that deficit. So while there is joy, there is also frustration that we even allowed ourselves to be in that kind of position, especially as much as the deficit was.”
On OG Anunoby’s Game 4 winner meaning within the New York sports fabric:
“You can’t spell God without OG. I tried to explain it to him, but you know OG barely gives you any reaction. So I don’t know if he’s understanding it or not. Like you said, it’s a great moment. It’s one of the best sports moments in New York history. But we’ve got to solidify it with one more win.”
"As players, we know our job's not finished. We're ready."
Mikal Bridges talks about the Knicks' success in close-out games and their mindset going into tomorrow's Game 5: pic.twitter.com/2uXC8wwVBI
“I think it’s pretty easy for us. I think that’s probably the most I can say. I think it’s pretty easy for us. As a player, we know our job’s not finished. Yeah, we’re ready.”
Mitchell Robinson
On the Knicks’ mindset entering Game 5:
“We’re still desperate. It ain’t over. Until it’s said and done, that’s got to be our mindset going into everything.”
On the Game 4 win:
“Getting that win the other night was truly amazing.”
On balancing the Game 4 celebration with staying focused for Game 5:
“You can enjoy it that night, that evening, obviously — soaking it up, with the magnitude of what happened. But quickly turning around and understand there’s more to be done. It’s a tough balance, but one that’s necessary, and I think our whole group’s done that.”
Who is the “most New York” on the New York Knicks?
The team weighs in… and the vote is pretty unanimous 😂
“It’s easy. We’re coming in and trying to win this game. This one is the most important game. It’s something — you know, we enjoyed it, it was a crazy game, and we love how we got the win. But at the end of the day, we gotta leave that behind us and come out here and worry about tomorrow.”
On Mike Brown’s trust in the bench:
“This bench is deep and he trusts everybody. Some days it’s my day, some days it’s somebody else’s day. … These are the times and moments you wait for.”
“That’s the key. Can’t have a hangover of winning a game like that. Obviously it’s special, but we don’t want to repeat it. We want to go out there and take care of business.”
On staying confident amid his shooting slump:
“I’m always going to stay confident, knowing I can impact the game in a lot of different ways. I’m going to make shots. I’m never worried about that. … Anybody is capable of it, 1 through 15 on this team. We’re pushing each other to be better. That’s how our team has been. We’re motivators. We want to uplift everybody. I think having a team like that, you can do a lot of great things.”
OG Anunoby was asked about having "OG Anunoby Appreciation Day" in New York:
“It’s really cool. Just everyone has been telling me how much it means, and obviously I can see how much it means. It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m very grateful. Everyone’s been telling me how much it means. I obviously see how much it means. It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m very grateful.”
Mitch Johnson:
"I don't get into social media. I think I've probably been fired 212 times, and we've traded Fox 72 times. People have their opinions. I don't care. De'Aaron Fox will have the ball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow and I have nothing but the utmost… pic.twitter.com/BOneKeoItn
“I think that’s what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn’t, what led to it. There’s a lot of times (when) themes of the game that may not necessarily show themselves in a box score on the surface level, that when you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”
On the criticism of De’Aaron Fox’s Game 4 decisions:
“I think I’ve been fired 212 times and we’ve traded Fox 72 times. We still have to show up and play tomorrow, and I’ve got to coach. The people that matter, we bond together, we stick together through the highs and lows. De’Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he’s going to deliver like he’s done countless times for us.”
On what went wrong in Game 4:
“It’s a good question. I think every game takes on different personalities. A lot of times when you watch the games back, with the level of detail that I would guess all staffs do, but I can speak for our staff, there’s so much that starts to happen, whether on a certain play before you make the shot or before the runs happen. I think that’s what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn’t, what led to it. … When you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”
On his own shortcomings in Game 4:
“There [were] a lot of things that we did, where it felt like we could have put our energy into the right spots in that third quarter. Some things that I could have done to help that, as well. I think that quarter probably was the most disappointing for me. There’s some learning things in every quarter, don’t get me wrong, some things we want to be sharper with, better at, finish games. We weren’t as connected and disciplined as we should have been.”
On the need for better management of Wembanyama’s energy:
“Looking back on it, I do believe that I have to make sure that I help him have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game. I think I could have done better in that regard. That’s not a number of minutes. That’s not meaning he’s going to play this many minutes tomorrow. It’s looking back on the game, and that game in itself, I got to make sure that I help with that. I think I could have been better in that regard looking back from that game.”
“Everybody thinks—everybody knows—that we’re gonna do it.
On taking the series one game at a time:
“I feel like we need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time. I think it would be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”
On moving past Game 4:
“We’re very confident. I wouldn’t say it was so hard to, like, shake it off. Harder than any other game before, by far, for sure. I mean, now we’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”
On the Game 4 collapse:
“Of course, there were 1,000 ways that we could have not lost that game. But it feels like there was a time to process that and really dwell on it, but not anymore.”
On what went wrong:
“Absolutely, greediness was [an issue for us]. I guess the general thing would be giving them less opportunities rather than [us] doing something incredible.”
On his showing fatigue:
“Definitely a factor. But it’s the playoffs. Everybody’s just as tired. I mean, it shouldn’t even be a factor in the game. I mean, now we’ve got two days between games. It’s not going to be a factor.”
On the egg-throwing incident:
“I don’t dislike it. Obviously, it’s not good at all. But it doesn’t bother me.”
On Mitch Johnson’s coaching:
“He understands people very well and knows how to speak to them. I am no exception. He knows how to speak to me. In-game, it feels like non-verbal communication as much as verbal because sometimes it’s loud, sometimes we’re far away. He knows what I need. He knows what I need to get to. I also know what he needs, what signals he needs. We’ve grown very much in that sense.”
On the wave of Knicks fans set to invade Frost Bank Center:
“No, it’s not a concern. I mean, we got good defense here in the crowd.”
De’Aaron Fox on the criticism he got after game 4:
"It's not like people have my phone number and can call me. I don't watch those shows. It doesn't matter. It is what it is. You can't change it now. We're trying to move on from that" pic.twitter.com/hRMBMWliWj
On dealing with outside criticism after his endless Game 4 errors:
“It’s not like people have my phone number and can call me. I don’t watch those shows. It doesn’t matter.”
On believing in a Finals comeback:
“We still have this belief because we’ve seen it. We’ve seen it be done, that teams have come back from 3-1. I think even with those series, the games that they lost, they were losing by double digits. The games that we’re losing have all been close games. We still have that belief that we have a chance to win. But we’re taking this one game at a time. We’re not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow, and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game. Then you look at that next game.”
On Knicks fans buying tickets in San Antonio and what to expect:
“People are making money. It’s the economy we live in. It’s the world we live in. Am I upset about it? No. Do I understand it? Sure. I don’t think that changes what happens on the court.”
"You have to start off going 1-0."
Devin Vassell sounds off on the mentality of the Spurs as they look to extend the series.
“Just not executing [is what we saw on the film]. There were a lot of defensive mistakes that we made, just not communicating. Then, offensively, just staying in our game plan and not steering away from it. We got some good looks. But with our guards, with Fox and Steph [Castle] just putting pressure on the rim, we feel like when we put pressure on the rim it opens up everything. We’ll be all right.”
"All of the other antics, whatever they decide to do it's on them… We locked in."
On the Spurs’ confidence after the Game 4 collapse:
“It’s a tough one, a tough pill to swallow. I feel like we got comfortable, and things happen. But I think the main thing is that belief is there. We believe. Our belief is as high as ever.”
Stephon Castle on whether they can come back from 3-1:
"I feel like we've made history all year. We've proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. I don't really expect this to be any different" pic.twitter.com/Ta01QqtaEb
“I feel like we’ve made history all year, and we’ve proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. So, I don’t really expect this to be any different.”
On why the Spurs remain confident:
“I think just our confidence. We’ve had a 10-plus point lead in every single game. Just trying to stay poised throughout that and try to keep our foot on the gas really. I feel like once we get those leads, we start to play a little bit different, take our foot off the gas defensively. I just feel like we have to stay aggressive but be smart through it.”
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 13, 2026
Shaquille O’Neal
On the NBA’s next face of the league:
“You have to take it. If [Wembanyama] wins a championship, yes. If [Jalen] Brunson wins a championship, it’ll be Brunson. Face of the league ain’t something you pass on. You’ve got to go take it.”
On the fantasy scenario of facing Victor Wembanyama:
“Oh, stop it. Let’s talk desserts. He’s too light in the cakes for me. Stop it. But I’m not known for defense, so he probably would’ve scored a few points also. There’s no guarding me one-on-one, so you can’t ask me that question. He’s a great player. This is his time now. This is not about me.”
On enjoying Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns in the Finals:
“I love [Wembanyama] and I love KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], so for me this is really good. Two big men battling it out. Let the best big man win. Usually in the Finals it’s all about guards. But these Finals are about two big men, so I have an affinity, a love, for both of them. So whoever wins, I’m happy for them both.”
Magic Johnson
On believing in the Spurs despite trailing 3-1:
“In NBA Finals history, one thing about the Spurs, they’re young, and I think they’re going to be okay. I think this series is going back to New York for Game 6. Listen, it wasn’t that they played bad. We have to understand that this team played great. They just gave the game away, and the Knicks took it.”
On why San Antonio should remain confident:
“So all you have to do is play like you did and not make the mistakes that you made, and you’re going to be okay. This team has played four great games. It’s just that the Knicks have a 3-1 lead because they executed in winning time. The Knicks have executed better than the Spurs. So if I’m the Spurs, I’m feeling good. Yeah, I lost, but I’m going home.”
On the Spurs’ mindset heading into Game 5:
“We correct some mistakes that we made, and we can win and make it a 3-2 series and come back to New York. They should be down about the fact that they didn’t execute in the fourth quarter.”
On Victor Wembanyama’s workload:
“And Coach Johnson made a huge mistake. When you’re up 20 at the end of the third quarter, he should have taken Victor out and said, ‘You get this timeout.’ Like Pat Riley used to tell me, ‘You’re going to get this timeout, and you’ll get another three or four minutes. Then I’ll put you back in to end the fourth quarter and the game.’ He should have taken Victor out because they had a big lead. You can rest him and bring him back in. Because he played so many minutes, he couldn’t take over the game.”
On Mike Brown and Jalen Brunson:
“And I think that’s why Mike Brown has been excellent for this team. He has not worn out Brunson. Brunson was able to finish the game, and it was just beautiful basketball. That shot will be remembered. But people better remember the block he made first. Because that block was a game-saving block as well. The point guard should have pulled it back out. De’Aaron Fox should have pulled it back.”
On the Knicks roster:
“I don’t want to hear no talk about Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or no other player coming to [the Knicks]. This is a great team. I’ve watched a lot of basketball — the way these guys love each other, they play for each other, pull for one another — you’re not going to see this anywhere else. They don’t out-talent you. Grit. Toughness. That’s how they beat you. And togetherness. That’s how they beat you.”
Melo wanted Jeremy Lin to stay … but the contract the Rockets offered would've hurt the Knicks 😳 @FDSportsbook
Melo: "Did he deserve the match, yes … what was ridiculous was the jump."
Lin: "My exit from the New York Knicks crushed me … I would've done anything to… pic.twitter.com/wM6yN6EqgZ
“Basically I asked every last question I had: ‘did that happen? What happened there? What happened here?’ But it was honest. It was direct, it was honest and we were able to definitely clear the air. Obviously perception is reality in certain situations… And that’s the thing about that whole stretch was there was a lot that I was unsure about. And so the narratives come, but to be able to talk it out, I appreciate that.”
On how he wants his story remembered:
“And so my biggest thing was when I think back on my career, because I recently retired, I’ve never wanted my story to be me versus anybody else, which we had talked about. And I think at the end of all of this, if my name comes up or my story comes up and it’s me versus Melo or if we’re ever at a point where someone has to choose sides, then I think we failed.”
On wanting to stay with the Knicks:
“I’ve actually never spoken publicly about my exit from New York until today. And the only reason why is because now we have had that conversation. And so for me, it’s like I’m sitting there like, ‘I got to go back to New York. We got to find any which way.’ And New York, they could have offered me three years, nine million, but I didn’t even get that.”
On Houston’s contract offer:
“So I go to Houston, Houston gives me this offer and I’m like, I swear to you, I get on the phone with my agent and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to take it.’ He’s like, ‘You don’t have a choice.’”
“Forget being jealous of what he’s doing, I want him to keep going.”
Melo gets real about the narrative that he envied Jeremy Lin's rise to fame 👀 pic.twitter.com/BVmTEpUImL
“I had to figure my s***. I was injured. I was hurt. I had to think about how fast I’m going to come back, what I’m going to do, how the f*** I’m going to go help this team, how I got to lead this team. I’m in a different position than Lin is. So I got to deal with a whole bunch of s***. Forget being jealous of what he’s doing. I want him to keep going. Game win in D.C. Yo, keep going. Toronto. Yo, keep going.”
On answering Jeremy Lin’s questions:
“These was questions that was built up for 14 years that other people probably was adding on to your pressures and your mindset and your perspective. It took me to go through what I went through to have the time to come back and be at peace with being able to answer all your questions with actual facts.”
Knicks team buses in San Antonio with heavy police escort today
On Victor Wembanyama dealing with more physicality than anyone on the court:
“Wemby has been the victim of some of the dirtiest s–t ever. I mean, people are grabbing and holding him. With Wemby, we’re allowing people to grab and hold him, knock him down. They literally have him locked up. With his demeanor, they’re lucky he hasn’t turned around and popped one of them in the face real quick. Big men, normally you don’t get to be this aggressive with them without them having the ability to retaliate, hold their temper and all of that.”
"When you see the fans and how they get crazy like that, it always motivates you to be at the top. It's impressive, it's motivating… It was really cool to see"
Juan Soto talks about his reaction to seeing fans rally around the Knicks in the NBA Finals: pic.twitter.com/FtRJaeUGox
“We still have a shot. We’re still here, and all the guys that are hurt are really close to being back, so I think it’s not as far as people think. I think it’s closer than what everybody is thinking or expecting.”
On attending the Knicks Finals games:
“It was a great feeling from the fans — how crazy they went, how loud they can get. It was impressive. It’s just a different feeling to be in there, you know, I felt like part of them. Those fans were paying attention to every little detail of the game, the back-and-forth, and that’s one of the things that made it special.”
On chasing another championship with the Mets:
“For me, I’m all-in, trying to get back to those big moments. It’s definitely not easy when you’re going through times like these, but we got to keep our heads up and keep going.”
“Hey, OG Anunoby, happy for your success. Proud that you’re a Mets fan. The Mets and I would love to invite you to Citi Field to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. All the best, Jose Reyes.”
Here you have 9 hours and 50 minutes of New York bangers. Game 5 is 15 hours away. You know what to do. No skips and replay.https://t.co/X6rpXFU6Rm
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 3: NaeQwan Tomlin #35 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on before the game against the Toronto Raptors during Round One Game Seven of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Nae’Qwan Tomlin’s emergence as a helpful fill-in rotation player was a pleasant surprise for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This led to his two-way deal being converted to a standard contract midway through the season.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player. A “B” represents that player meeting their standard.
Regular Season Stats
5.8 points
2.9 rebounds
0.8 assists
47.8% FG
23.5% 3PT FG
77% FT
64 games
Making the jump from a two-way deal to a standard contract doesn’t happen as often as you’d think.
There are 90 NBA two-way slots available, and far more than 90 players who occupy those positions throughout the season. Since these are non-guaranteed deals, teams are pretty quick to cut and sign players to these deals.
This year, only 31 players had their two-way contracts converted to a standard deal for at least the rest of the season. Tomlin was among that group.
Tomlin’s journey to this spot was unconventional to say the least. He didn’t play organized basketball until college, and then played for four teams in five years. Three of those years were spent at smaller juco schools.
He made the Cleveland Charge’s roster heading into the 2024-25 season, but wasn’t a regular rotation at the start of the year. He eventually worked his way into the rotation, then became a starter, and ended the year on a two-way deal.
That progression continued this season. Tomlin worked his way up after the Cavs were decimated with injuries. He made the most of those opportunities as he became a fixture in the rotation throughout the season, and was even a spot starter in three games.
Tomlin’s athleticism and hustle stood out on a team that needed both of those qualities. He was an impactful offensive rebounder and an explosive finisher in the paint when given a runway to do so.
The increased playing time also exposed some of the shortcomings in Tomlin’s game.
First of all, the outside shooting is an issue. Tomlin spent many of his half-court possessions stationed in the corner, but was mostly a non-threat as a shooter. He finished last among qualified forwards in corner three-point percentage as he knocked down just 24% of his corner triples.
This was an issue because Tomlin showed that he doesn’t have the handle or playmaking capabilities to be an on-ball creator. It’s difficult to find a consistent half-court role if you can’t either pass, dribble, shoot, or be a vertical threat at an average to high level.
This left Tomlin as mostly someone who could attack in transition or finish off cuts from the corner. Both are useful, but not ideal as the basis for an offensive package.
Defensively, Tomlin fouled far too much. He had the worst foul percentage among forwards in the league, translating to 4.5 fouls per 36 minutes.
Fouls for a forward usually come from being out of position or selling out for blocks. Tomlin’s issues came from both. He struggled to keep wings in front of him defensively. And even when he was in the right position, he was too susceptible to pump fakes.
Tomlin will need to figure out how to play defense without fouling as much as he did this year if he wants to be a rotation-caliber player. It’s difficult to justify playing someone who fouls this much, who also isn’t a rim deterrent in a meaningful way.
Despite the need for improvement, it’s undeniable that this was a successful year for Tomlin. Every player on a two-way deal in the league’s entire goal for the year is to earn a standard contract. Tomlin did that.
The next step is refining his game on both ends so that he can earn a second NBA deal.
ABU DHABI, UAE - OCTOBER 3: Head Coach Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics speaks to the media during media availability as part of 2024 NBA Global Games Abu Dhabi at Etihad Arena on October 3, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, The United Arab Emirates. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Joe Mazzulla could have been anywhere.
He could have been back home in Rhode Island, decompressing after a Celtics season that started with everyone lowering expectations because of Jayson Tatum’s Achilles tear and ended with everyone furious because those lowered expectations had somehow turned into 56 wins and a blown 3-1 lead to Philadelphia.
He could have been holed up in the Red Auerbach Center, watching film of a missed weak-side rotation from February with the emotional urgency of a man solving a murder. He could have been in Costa Rica again, walking barefoot through the jungle with a chess prodigy, because apparently the rest of us have been going about vacation all wrong.
Instead, he was in Portugal with Neemias Queta.
☘️ Da NBA à Luz!
Neemias Queta e Joe Mazzulla visitaram hoje a nossa casa e receberam a camisola oficial do Benfica 26/27 🔴⚪ pic.twitter.com/AuS5DItq60
— SLBenfica Modalidades (@modalidadesslb) June 9, 2026
Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston wrote a great piece this week on Mazzulla’s offseason travel, reporting that the Celtics head coach was spotted in both Omaha, Nebraska, and Lisbon, Portugal during the first week of June while spending time with Baylor Scheierman and Queta. Forsberg noted that the trip from Omaha to Lisbon is roughly 4,400 air miles, with no direct flights.
That is not a “swing by if you’re in the area” itinerary. That is multiple flights, time zones, airport coffee, stiff necks and at least one moment where you wake up in a hotel room with no idea what continent you’re in, let alone country.
And yet, there he was.
The more you look at these trips, the harder it becomes to treat them like irregular offseason moments. The point is not that Joe Mazzulla owns a passport or knows how to find Terminal B. The point is that connecting with his players on a human level seems to be an integral part of how he coaches.
The version of Joe we see is not the whole person
For most fans, Mazzulla is still understood through the strangest parts of his public personality.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu practice with his sensei in the depths of the Celtics practice facility. The seemingly strong desire to one day execute a bank heist (either as the mastermind or safecracker). The refusal to answer simple questions in a simple way.
It’s funny, and a lot of the shtick is probably intentional. Mazzulla has never seemed especially interested in making himself easier to understand from the outside.
In some ways, the weirdness has become the package. You see the vacant stare, the deadpan expression, the quote that sounds like it was translated from English to Latin and back again, and you think, yep, that’s Joe.
But there is another version of him that keeps showing up in the way Celtics players talk about him.
That version seems to be much quieter and more grounded. He spends time, listens, and shows up in places he does not have to be.
Brad Stevens once told NBC Sports Boston that a player who had been around Mazzulla for individual and small group work said, “That guy can say anything to me because of the amount of time he spends with me.” That line gets at something coaches can sometimes pretend is more complicated than it is. Players usually know when someone is only showing up because the job requires it. They also know when someone is showing up because they care enough to understand the full person standing in front of them.
Mazzulla seems obsessed with that part.
Not in a soft, sentimental way. After all, this is still Joe Mazzulla we’re talking about. I’m not expecting him to start every practice with a group hug and a guided meditation unless the meditation somehow involves combat breathing and clips of the 2008 Celtics defending the strong-side corner.
But his approach seems rooted in a pretty human idea: you cannot demand everything from people if you are not willing to meet them where they actually are.
The miles are the message
Mazzulla’s approach off the court helps explain why the trips matter.
Going to Portugal with Queta is more than a coach supporting a player during the offseason. Mazzulla wanted to see the places that shaped his starting center before he became a rotation piece in Boston. The journey is about understanding what basketball looked like for Queta before TD Garden, before the NBA, before he became part of the Celtics’ nightly calculus.
The same goes for Scheierman at Creighton. Mazzulla is not just checking in on a player’s jumper or making sure Baylor didn’t trim that stunning mullet. He’s walking into the environment that helped make the player make sense.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla flew to Omaha to spend time working out with Baylor Scheierman on Creighton’s campus. 💚⁰⁰Scheierman just finished year two with the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/gOEoLG1WTf
Those moments have the ability to change the texture of a relationship.
As fans, we spend a lot of time talking about schemes, rotations and late-game decisions because those are the things we can see. Fair enough. Mazzulla should be judged on those things too. The Celtics’ offense got stagnant at times. The playoff loss to Philadelphia deserves real scrutiny. There are fair questions about how Boston evolves next season, especially with Tatum working his way back and Brown coming off the heaviest leadership burden of his career (on top of the onslaught of trade rumors to start the offseason).
But the relationship piece is not some decorative side dish that sits next to the actual coaching. It is the coaching.
When Mazzulla challenges players, his words land differently down the road if they know he has invested in them beyond the box score. When he asks Queta to defend without fouling, Queta knows his coach cared enough to fly across an ocean and see where his basketball story started. When he asks Scheierman to sharpen the details of his game, Scheierman knows Mazzulla took the time to show up in the place where his confidence first became tangible.
That doesn’t read like performative culture-building to me. It feels like someone taking the human part of the job seriously.
It’s also probably exhausting. I don’t know what Joe Mazzulla’s sleep schedule looks like, and I’m not sure I want to. There is a nonzero chance he views jet lag as a weakness leaving the body. But even if he is wired differently than most people, at the end of the day, the choice to keep showing up for his players is still a choice.
The caring part is easier to miss
Al Horford has talked about the caring side of Mazzulla before, saying players can see that he cares about them as people and that his genuineness is part of why they respect him.
Horford also shared the story of Mazzulla returning to a neighborhood in the Dominican Republic to run a clinic for kids, with no cameras and no desire for credit. That story is more revealing than a thousand press conference clips. That type of Joe is not one we ever really get to see when the cameras are rolling and the mics are hot. It’s simply a coach doing something decent because he wanted to be there.
Spreading the love & knowledge of the game 🇩🇴 🏆
Al Horford was joined by Joe Mazzulla at his basketball camp in La Romana, Dominican Republic! pic.twitter.com/rbLQVBJKXz
Maybe Mazzulla prefers for that side to stay quieter.
Perhaps it’s easier for everyone to focus on the odd quotes and the intensity and the killer whale metaphors. Maybe that lets him keep the more sincere parts of his coaching style protected. It would be very Joe to hide the softest part of himself behind the least normal possible packaging.
But the pattern is getting harder to miss.
He goes to the Dominican Republic for Horford. He asks to attend Chris Boucher’s baptism in Montreal. He spends time with Scheierman at Creighton. He travels with Queta to Portugal.
At a certain point, these stop feeling like isolated anecdotes and start looking like the foundation of how he leads.
Trust is built before anyone needs it
Mazzulla doesn’t have to earn trust with speeches in the huddle or locker room. He is earning it with presence at times when basketball isn’t the primary focus.
The Celtics need plenty from him next season. As Stevens noted in his end-of-season presser, tactical adjustments must be made. The roster needs better answers when playoff possessions get tight, especially with the New York Knicks establishing themselves as a legitimate threat heading into next season. Mazzulla must help Brown, White, Pritchard and the rest of the roster navigate a year that may once again require a different kind of identity while Tatum comes back for his first full season after the Achilles tear.
They also need the locker room to keep believing in him when he pushes, prods, challenges and occasionally says something that makes everyone in the room wonder if they accidentally walked into a philosophy seminar being held inside an MMA gym.
That is what the trips help explain.
The strange quotes get noticed. The care for his players tells the story.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 10: Mikal Bridges #25 and OG Anunoby #8 of the New York Knicks celebrates after scoring a game winning shot during Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals on June 10, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Through four games, the 2026 NBA Finals have been even in just about every way.
The Knicks may lead the series three games to one, but as many pundits and salty NBA fans will tell you, all of these games could’ve gone the opposite way with a few different possessions or calls going differently. Unfortunately for them, you don’t get extra points for almost winning, just ask Kenny Atkinson.
Both teams have made massive runs; they’ve had massive quarters. Even in the Spurs’ case, they’ve had a dominant half of basketball. But it’s all added up to the two teams being close enough that all four games have been decided at the death.
But, while much of the discourse surrounding Game 4 has been focused on the Spurs’ unbelievable 29-point choke, not enough has been about the Knicks playing perhaps the best half of basketball, context included, in franchise history. For some reason, people believe that winning the first quarter matters more than any other. Odd.
So what had to happen for the Knicks to suddenly flip the script and outscore the Spurs 58-30 in the final 24 minutes?
The first thing we have to acknowledge is shooting luck. After the greatest shooting half in NBA Finals history by a Spurs team that has just two above-average three-point shooters in their rotation, they cooled off significantly after halftime, going just 3-for-17. A lot of these looks weren’t totally different than the ones they chucked up in the first half in a persistent heat check, but the attention to detail was also better by the Knicks.
The Spurs went 9-for-13 on wide-open threes and 5-for-12 on open threes in that first half. In the second half, it dropped off to 3-for-10 and 0-for-7. While the drop off from 14-for-25 to 3-for-17 is truly immense, it still averages out at 40.5%, which is well above the postseason average for the Spurs.
So while their shooting drop-off in the second half was a big catalyst behind the comeback, think of it as more of a regression to the mean by a team that doesn’t have the shotmaking to do it for a full 48.
And this is where youthful arrogance sinks in. The heat check bled into the third quarter, where the Spurs repeatedly chucked up shots early in the shot clock, expecting them to go in. When you lead by such a large margin in the second half, you’re fighting the clock as much as the opponent. Refusing to use it on their side enabled the Knicks to get back into it:
Michael Wilbon says the Spurs played sustain stretch of the dumbest basketball he’s ever seen:
“I’m going to give you one stat, they go 14 for 26 on threes in the first half. They built this enormous lead on three point shooting but they have to know they can’t sustain that. And… pic.twitter.com/CCujQjKUba
Despite employing a 7’5” alien, the Spurs became the first team in this postseason to go an entire quarter without scoring in the paint in that third quarter, going 0-for-5 in the restricted area. Yes, none of the teams that got wiped off the face of the earth by the Thunder or Knicks in the early rounds even reached this futility.
SPURS 3RD QUARTER LAST NIGHT
0 points in the paint
First team this postseason to go an entire quarter without scoring in the paint
But that’s enough about the Spurs shooting themselves in the foot. What did the Knicks do to chip away and seize the game at the very end?
They generated better looks on offense, for one. The Knicks had just nine open/wide-open three-point attempts in the first half, making four of them.
In the second half? They went 10-for-18. They never had a problem making their open threes, they just weren’t able to get to that easy offense in the first half.
A large part of that was being able to space the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns being freed from Zach Zarba’s foul trouble prison cell. After playing just nine minutes in a first half that featured brief cameos by Ariel Hukporti and Jeremy Sochan, Towns played 17 minutes in the second half. As such, he was able to finish a game-high +17 in 26 minutes.
While he himself didn’t do too much, he continued a trend that has existed all throughout this series. When he shares the floor with Victor Wembanyama, the Knicks steadily outplay them. When he’s forced to sit while Wemby’s out there, the Spurs dominate.
Wemby + KAT on: Knicks +30 (116:27) Wemby on, KAT off: Spurs +41 (44:19) Wemby off: Knicks +19 (31:14)
Plus/minus per minute: Wemby + KAT on: Knicks +0.26 Wemby on, KAT off: Spurs +0.925 Wemby off: Knicks +0.61
It also doesn’t help ol’ Vic that the Knicks were taking advantage of his wind slowly catching up to him. He’s played a staggering 203 minutes over his last five games, the most by a country mile that he ever has. He’s exceeded his career high in total minutes by over 450 minutes, with, in a total best-case scenario for him, three games to go. That’s 10 additional full games of basketball.
It’s not surprising, then, when the Knicks hunted him on the perimeter in multiple types of action in the second half.
The Knicks had a second half offensive rating of 180 (1.80 ppp) on possessions with Wemby defending in isolation, pick n roll, or close outs
Knicks’ built their historic comeback on Wemby’s defensive weaknesses in drop coverage, over-help and late close outs… pic.twitter.com/QPIY7A2RVg
The big worry I had watching the first half was allowing the Spurs to coast to a victory and allow their stars to rest, not accruing the extra mileage that has slowly worn them down as games progressed. Fortunately, the Knicks never fully let go of the rope in this tug-of-war battle, dragging their tired bodies over the line for a win.
There were also some bold moves made by Mike Brown with his rotations. Jordan Clarkson didn’t have it. Deuce McBride continued not to have it. Landry Shamet struggled for the second straight game. Needing someone to plug in during the fourth quarter, he elected to play Jose Alvarado with Brunson for the first time in several weeks. It worked like a charm.
NYK scored 1.727 points per possession with these two on the court in G4.
The Knicks’ best offense has been when they use off-ball movement, spacing, and real ball movement to put the Spurs into the blender. This disrupts their strategy of playing Wemby as a free safety in the paint and allows them to create quality looks on possession after possession.
What you saw in the second half wasn’t just a young team fundamentally failing in terms of execution for an entire half, but it was a perfect 24 minutes for the team that had to climb out of an impossible deficit.
The inexperience showed one more time in a big way on the final possessions. The Spurs had no idea how to defend the Knicks’ final possession, and you could see it happening in real time.
Unreleased footage that shows the Spurs in utter confusion coming out of the timeout before the OG tip in. MUST watch, sound up. Link to full breakdown below 👇🏀 pic.twitter.com/E7tz0st2LO
Through four games, the Spurs have not been the better team, because this kind of stuff is what goes into what decides which team is better or not. Just because one team has the flashier stars, the better personalities, the generational talents gifted to them by Adam Silver and the lottery gods, doesn’t mean they should be ordained without having to play the games.
With Game 5 coming later today, David will have a chance to take Goliath off life support.
