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This is shaping up to be a busy summer in the NBA with the inevitable Giannis Antetokounmpo trade likely coming after the Finals wrap up. That could be the first domino in what is a transaction-heavy offseason. It remains to be seen what role the Cleveland Cavaliers will play in that busy summer.

The Cavs don’t have many assets they could send out to help boost them into the championship-level tier. One of the players they could dangle in trades is 24-year-old Evan Mobley.

The front office has indicated that Mobley is not on the trade block. While that may be true for the time being, we know that things can change quickly in the NBA.

Earlier this week, we asked Cavs’ fans whether or not they’d be open to trading Mobley for a short-term upgrade. Players like Giannis, Jaylen Brown, and Jaylen Williams were given as examples of players Mobley could be traded for.

According to those surveyed, most would prefer to stick with Mobley.

This is an understandable position to take. Mobley has proven to be an All-NBA player and Defensive Player of the Year, while still having the potential to develop further. There’s a world where Mobley evolves into a top 10-15 player.

At the same time, the Cavs’ window to win a championship is narrow after trading Darius Garland for James Harden. There’s a two to three-year time frame that you could realistically hope to compete. Moving Mobley for someone who gives them a better chance to win now isn’t the craziest idea.

Right now, it appears that the New York Knicks are going to win the NBA Finals. FanDuel has them listed as -500 to prevail with their 3-1 lead. The San Antonio Spurs are -5.5 to win Game 5 on Saturday evening.

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What can we say about Jalen Brunson that hasn’t already been said about Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson?

Absolutely unstoppable.

Brunson’s late-game heroics have the New York Knicks knocking on the door of their first NBA title since 1973 when they visit the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

I’m not rushing to bet the Under on his points total in my Knicks vs. Spurs predictions, but I will fade assists when it comes to the Jalen Brunson odds.

Find out more in my best NBA picks for Saturday, June 13.

Jalen Brunson prop pick for Game 5

Jalen Brunson best bet: Under 5.5 assists (+110 at bet365)

Jalen Brunson is coming off his best passing performance of the NBA Finals, dishing out seven assists on a potential 15 dimes in the New York Knicks' ridiculous Game 4 comeback.

This is a notable swing in passing production, with Brunson registering just nine potential assists in each of the first three games of the series and finishing with totals of two, six, and five helpers versus the San Antonio Spurs.

Those seven assists in Game 4 marked the first time in the past six postseason games that Brunson finished Over his assists total. It also has this prop market skewing toward six dimes, with Over 5.5 carrying a hefty ask and some books up to 6.5 O/U.

This sudden shift in sharing the basketball wasn’t really Brunson’s doing but was more a result of the Knicks having to scrap their initial offensive schemes for Game 4, as well as suddenly hot shooting from New York in the second half.

Coach Mike Brown was aiming to run the ball through center Karl-Anthony Towns and have Brunson play off-ball more in Game 4 to create space for his shots, but KAT got whistled for two quick fouls in the opening minute.

That had Brunson back as the primary ball handler for a good chunk of time. His 115 touches were a series high after posting 95, 95, and 109 touches in the opening three contests.

Game 5 has Brown going back to his game plan of running Towns as a facilitator at the high post and involving Brunson in screen action away from the ball. That prevents his dribble-heavy slop from Game 3’s loss and exposes the switching issues that plagued the Spurs during the Knicks’ rally on Wednesday.

Brunson's early projections sit above six assists for Saturday, which is nothing new. His projections have repeatedly landed north of this number during the playoffs, yet the Under on assists is 6-2 in his last eight postseason showings.

The prop markets are overcorrecting to a unique game scenario in Game 4. I feel confident that Brunson will be focused on firing up shots and won’t give up the ball with the game on the line.

You can find the Under 5.5 assists paying out as big as +118 or go low on the taller total at Under 6.5 (-160).

Jalen Brunson same-game parlay

Brunson’s seven assists in Game 4 had a lot to do with Towns’ foul trouble. New York wants to take the ball out of his hands and create space for his shots as a cutter.

That scheme will lead to more 3-point looks, with Brunson bagging three triples in each of the past two games, and the game script saying the Knicks are fighting from behind.

Brunson has been big on the boards, with five rebounds in each of his last three outings while putting himself in place for an average of 10.0 rebounding chances in those games.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

If it appeared like the Spurs had no clue what they were doing for the final 24 minutes of Game 4, that actually may have been the case.

A damning video has emerged showing San Antonio in complete defensive disarray before its fateful final defensive possession in which OG Anunoby tipped in an offensive rebound with 1.2 seconds remaining to complete the Knicks’ 29-point rally in the biggest comeback victory in NBA Finals history.

An overhead video shows several Spurs players pointing at different Knicks players with 5.7 seconds remaining in the 107-106 loss, seemingly in mass confusion.

After De’Aaron Fox made arguably one of the worst decisions in NBA history to attempt a layup while leading 106-105 with roughly 11 seconds left only to be blocked by Anunoby, the Knicks called a timeout and subbed in Landry Shamet for Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges for Jose Alvarado.

The Spurs kept their same five on the floor — Fox, Stephon Castle, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Victor Wembanyama — and it seems they did not expect the lineup change on the other side.

Harper flashed his eyes to the sideline while the Knicks took the court, seemingly unsure of who he should be guarding on the play.

Fox pointed to an unguarded Shamet, seemingly indicating that someone should be on him, while the uneasiness among the Spurs grew.

Several players started pointing in different directions, with Castle actually holding out his hands in a manner that indicated, “What is going on?”

Castle and Wembanyama both went toward Karl-Anthony Towns, all while Shamet remained unguarded.

Wembanyama eventually went out to Bridges, while Harper grabbed Shamet.

The Spurs had a man on each Knick on the court while Fox played rover, and they made the curious decision to leave the inbounder, Anunoby, unoccupied.

This call loomed large when Fox opted to double team Jalen Brunson with Wembanyama, which allowed the Knicks to have a 4-on-3 chance at the rim when Brunson missed a long 3.

Anunoby ran free toward the hoop and jumped above a pair of Spurs defenders to tip in the rebound in the play that could be what ultimately lost the series for the Spurs.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called the tip in a combination of a great play by Anunoby, plus a breakdown by his defense.

Fox seemingly just standing around after Brunson shot the ball, adding to his already brutal night.

“Yeah, bounce off the rim the right way. He tipped it in the right way. It went in,” Harper said after one of the worst defeats in franchise history. “I could play wish I could have did this, wish I could have did that. But at the end of the day he tipped the ball, and it went in the rim.I definitely thought I had a hand on it. I definitely think I helped put the ball in the rim. But just got to box out.”

Game 5: Knicks, and their fans, are in San Antonio, hoping to close out the NBA Finals with a title originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Larry O’Brien Trophy will be in the building. The rehearsals for the presentation ceremony, if one is needed, are complete. Thousands of New York fans have made the trip to Texas, looking to see something that hasn’t happened in 53 years.

The rest is up to the Knicks.

New York can win its first NBA championship since 1973 on Saturday night, with the Knicks holding a 3-1 lead going into Game 5 of the NBA Finals against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

The Knicks are 3-0 in closeout opportunities this season, winning them by an average of 39.3 points — all of them on the road.

“We’ve been preaching all year it’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation — for your opponents — increases (and) 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.”

New York got to the brink of this title by rallying from 29 points down in Game 4 to win 107-106 on OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left. It was the largest comeback in NBA Finals history and the biggest comeback in any game this season, regular season or playoffs.

The Spurs have led each of the four games entering Saturday by double figures and let three of those games become losses.

“The biggest thing for us is just can’t take our foot off the gas in a sense,” Spurs guard Dylan Harper said. “Can’t get comfortable with a lead. It’s the NBA Finals. Anything could happen, like we just saw. But just at the end of the day, we’ve just got to stay together as a group.”

The referees selected for Saturday’s game were Scott Foster, James Capers and Tyler Ford. Foster and Capers both worked Game 1 and Ford worked Game 2 of the series.

If the Spurs win, Game 6 would be Tuesday in New York.

Warriors' Seth Curry shares intriguing take about NBA Finals MVP conversation originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

With the New York Knicks one win away from their first NBA championship in more than 50 years, there’s been plenty of chatter about the NBA Finals MVP.

Jalen Brunson is the clear superstar and leader of the team, but OG Anunoby has had some clutch plays that have led to New York’s success, including a game-saving block and a game-winning tip-in to pull off a miraculous and historic Game 4 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

But Warriors guard Seth Curry is confused by the conversation surrounding the Finals MVP in recent years, something he believes saw an uptick beginning in 2015, as he shared on Threads.

“I’m seeing a lot of Finals MVP talk. who cares,” Curry wrote. “Growing up i never heard anybody talking about finals MVP.. Started around 2015 for some reason.”

2015, of course, was the year the Warriors dynasty won its first of several NBA championships. Former Warriors forward Andre Igoudala was rewarded the NBA Finals MVP that year for his standout defense on former Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, despite Steph Curry being the undisputed star of the team and averaging 26 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 42.5 minutes throughout the six-game series.

After Golden State’s title win, there was a debate over whether Curry deserved it over Iguodala. Despite being a four-time NBA champion, Steph didn’t win his first NBA Finals MVP until the Warriors’ latest win in 2021-22. Although Steph has said numerous times that he couldn’t care less about the Finals MVP award, and cared more about being a champion.

And to Seth’s point, he doesn’t understand why the individual award has all of a sudden been such a hot topic.

Much like Steph, Brunson likely doesn’t care who wins Finals MVP either, should the Knicks be victorious. Bringing a championship to New York after five long decades is a pretty special accolade on its own.

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A little-known Dutch designer scored big after a friend wore her Knicks T-shirt to Madison Square Garden — and it caught the attention of owner Jim Dolan’s pal.

Georgine Ratelband’s $295 “I’m a New York Knicks Girl” tee and five other items from her luxury line are now being sold at the MSG Team Store — debuting just weeks before the team made it to the NBA Finals.

“It’s great timing,” Ratelband, 37, told The Post. “I’m ecstatic. I’m over the moon. I’m so proud.”

Items from her Knicks collection — which include a crewneck sweater for $160, a $385 hoodie, $425 pants, a sequin jacket for $900 and a $1,450 leather jacket — have already been purchased by sports royalty, like New York Knicks star Josh Hart’s wife, Shannon, and former Rangers great Henrik Lundqvist.

“One of my favorite stories is Henrik Lundqvist posted a picture of his daughters wearing my hoodies. It’s an incredible picture, courtside,” she gushed.

“And then Josh Hart, his wife wore one of my shirts. And I mean, these people all bought them too, it’s not like I gifted it to them. So it’s even more special.”

Ratelband, who founded the women’s luxury fashion label Georgine in 2011, introduced sports-themed tees to her collection due to a high demand from her clients — who wanted to up their game when attending sporting events.

“My clients always say, ‘I want to look cute, but I don’t want to be too overdressed,'” said the fashionista, who’s dressed A-listers like Beyoncé, Zendaya, Lady Gaga and Brooke Shields.

“Just because it’s the men playing, us girls also want to be involved.”

In April 2025, she gave the only hand-embroidered “I’m a New York Knicks Girl” tee she designed to her friend to wear toMSG for Game 5 of Round 1 of the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons.

“A friend of Dolan showed it to an executive over at MSG who then referred it over to the merchandise manager,” she explained.

“Before I knew it, I was literally put on a text message [with MSG] and they were like, ‘We love the shirt. How many can we get?’ So I said, ‘None. I only made one!'”

Ratelband immediately contacted the factory she uses in Italy to rush a bulk order.

Her “I’m a New York Knicks Girl” shirt was only sold at the exclusive Delta Lounge at MSG last season, and after the first batches sold out, she was asked to design additional Knicks merch.

“I made a beautiful presentation with sketches and ideas and went into MSG. I was so nervous, it was a huge boardroom with a lot of people to present to. But they loved everything,” said Ratelband.

Ratelband, who moved to New York from the Netherlands in 2014, said her Knicks partnership has special meaning because the term “Knickerbockers” comes from the name of the trousers the original Dutch settlers to Manhattan wore in the 1600s.

“And since I’m Dutch, I just feel like it’s such a perfect collaboration,” she said.

The New York Knicks visit the San Antonio Spurs tonight at Frost Bank Center for Game Five of the NBA Finals. New York leads the series 3-1 and is one win away from its first championship since 1973, while a Spurs victory tonight would send the series back to Madison Square Garden. 

Inquiring minds want to know: can San Antonio recover from the embarrassment of Game Four? The Spurs have led by double digits in every game of this series and were ready to even things up on Wednesday before blowing a 29-point lead. 

New York continues to shoot themselves in both feet by losing first quarters and digging double-digit holes. The Knicks have lost the first quarter in all four games, and in each of their wins, they trailed inside the final two minutes. And yet, they have been the steadier team in the clutch. They rallied from an impossible deficit to win Game Four, 107-106, thanks to MVP-worthy efforts from Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. For the losers, Victor Wembanyama recorded 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks, while rookie Dylan Harper added 21 off the bench.

The Spurs’ formula is simple: spread the floor, push the pace, and let Wembanyama erase mistakes at the rim. When they’re humming, they can bury opponents under a barrage of threes and transition opportunities. To wit, on Wednesday they set a Finals record for most first-half three-pointers. The idea of New York rallying to win was inconceivable to anyone watching because no one had ever rallied from that far down in a Finals game. 

Rally, they did. The Knicks found a way to win by focusing on singles, bunting to get on base, and crashing the boards while San Antonio made one bone-headed decision after another. They should have killed the clock, but instead hoisted bricks too early; they stopped attacking the paint; they missed free throws; they gave the ball away like it had an open herpes sore; etc. 

Thus, the game was a tale of two records—14 made threes by the Spurs in the first half, and a 30-point turnaround for the Knicks in the second.

The expected starters for the Spurs are Fox, Castle, Vassell, Julian Champagnie, and Wembanyama. For the Knicks, Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Anunoby, and Towns. The injury report is clean for both sides. Both teams have had two full days off between games. San Antonio gets the benefit of returning home, but neither side enters with a meaningful rest advantage.

Since the start of the finals, I have collaborated with J.R. Wilco of Pounding the Rock on Fraternizing with the Enemy pieces. They have been a blast to write. Beyond that, it’s introduced me to the Spurs community and, boy, they have some takes. A common one is that the Spurs are a vastly more talented team and would be ahead 3-1 in the series if not for the impetuousness of youth. Or the Knicks don’t win the games, the Spurs lose them. Some blame Mitch Johnson and want him fired if they lose the Finals, while others counter that abandoning a young coach after the failure is not the Spurs Way. Others cast disdain upon post-win rampaging through the city, which does curdle the stomach, but conveniently neglect to mention how a 17-year-old was beaten into a coma by a Spurs fan.

Imagining myself as a San Antonio fan, I can see myself tied into knots trying to make sense of what has transpired. As a Knicks fan, I have done the same—and perhaps you, too, have experienced moments of irrational justification in defense of our beloved ‘Bockers. Here’s how I see the series so far: these teams are evenly matched, each with edges in various spots. The Knicks tend to start slowly, but build momentum throughout the game, whereas the Spurs come out running and gunning, then gradually lose steam. San Antonio is green, no denying that, and have made mistakes that show their inexperience, while the Knicks are mostly 30ish-year-old vets in their prime who have been already earned the scars necessary to win championships. And Mike Brown is a better coach than Mitch Johnson.

That’s how I see the series. Would love to hear your takes in the comments blow.

Prediction

ESPN gives New York a 43% chance to win. All hail the underdogs! They will need to withstand what will certainly be an aggressive opening push from a team facing elimination on its home floor. For once, however, we expect our heroes to come out on the right foot. They need to limit live-ball turnovers that fuel San Antonio’s transition game, crash the glass, distribute the ball, make their shots, etc. This series has repeatedly swung toward the team that stays composed when things get weird, and right now the Knicks have all the juice. They close it out tonight by five. Get the banner printed and ready to hang.

Game Details

Who: New York Knicks (3-1) vs San Antonio Spurs (1-3)
Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
Time: 8:30 PM ET
Place: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
TV: ABC
Follow: @ptknicksblog and bsky

Profile

Position: Point guard

Height: Six-foot-two

Weight: 185 pounds

Comparisons: Elfrid Payton, Earl Watson, Collin Sexton, Reggie Jackson, Jeremiah Fears

Raptors Comparisons: Rafer Alston, T.J. Ford

Strengths

Rim-pressure

Ebuka Okorie’s elite trait is his ability to get to the basket at will. Ranking in the 99th percentile per 100 possessions for attempts at the rim, Okorie understands how to deploy his game-breaking first step and jitterbug agility to get by perimeter defenders. While he graded out better as an isolation scorer, Okorie was also solid in pick-and-roll actions.

His relentless play style naturally resulted in an elite free-throw rate. Okorie finished with a nation-leading 226 free throws – 7.3 per game – and converted on an impressive 83.2 per cent of his attempts.

Self-Creation

Despite Stanford’s lack of top-end talent, Okorie still averaged 23.2 points and 3.6 assists on 46.5 per cent shooting. Opposing teams resorted to shading-type coverages that often were used to slow down offensive threats like Brandon Ingram, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Anthony Edwards in the NBA playoffs. Yet Okorie still thrived with the ball in his hands and averaged nearly 31 per cent of Stanford’s points.

While Okorie could stand to improve in certain spots on the floor, he’s still a legitimate three-level scorer. Okorie isn’t an above-the-rim type of athlete, but he can seemingly shift into an unlimited number of gears with the ball in his hands.

Areas for Improvement

Rim efficiency

Okorie may be the best – or most consistent – at applying downhill pressure, but the freshman isn’t necessarily the most effective when he gets into the paint. While nearly 90 per cent of his rim-attempts are unassisted, Okorie converted on roughly 55 per cent of those dribble-drives. That ranks him as an average finisher among NCAA players.

Against the California Golden Bears on Jan. 24, Okorie was held to 1-of-16 from the field, with nearly half of his shots coming at the rim. Fortunately for Okorie, his knack for getting to the basket still resulted in 14 free throws. If Okorie sees even a slight uptick in efficiency, that might be the swing factor that catapults him into a draft-day steal at 19.

Defensive Ceiling

Like some of the other scoring guards available in this part of the draft, Okorie has question marks surrounding his defence. If it weren’t for this potential red flag, his intriguing offensive profile would have been enough to lock him into the lottery. Like with Christian Anderson, opposing lead guards will hunt Okorie down with a laser focus. A silver lining to not having Immanuel Quickley push his luck with his injury during the playoffs, was not having to worry about the Cleveland Cavaliers attacking him on switches. With Jamal Shead, the Raptors mostly switched without concern. Drafting Okorie at 19 would complicate that luxury.

Okorie did convert some of his doubters when he measured with a 6’7.75” wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine. How quickly and consistently Okorie can adapt to the league’s physicality will determine his overall ceiling.

Potential fits with Toronto

Microwave scorer off the bench

The Raptors averaged 33.5 bench points per game, which ranked 24th in the league. That needs to improve, particularly on a roster that includes Brandon Ingram and Quickley’s injury concerns. Ingram had a bounce-back season from a health perspective, but another lower-body injury hampered the Raptors’ chances at getting past the first round of the post-season. Quickley has missed 60 regular-season games (and all seven playoff games this past year) since being acquired by the Raptors. Okorie represents offensive insurance should the team run into bad injury-luck again this season.

With the Raptors at full-strength, Okorie becomes a fascinating member of a bench unit that exceeded expectations in the playoffs. Even though it pushes Ja’Kobe Walter to the three spot, an Okorie and Shead backcourt off the bench is a fun dynamic.