The New York Knicks are returning to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and they’ll face the same opponent that defeated them back then — the San Antonio Spurs, who once again feature a rookie sensation heading to his first championship series.
A quarter-century ago, that rising star was Tim Duncan. Today, it’s Victor Wembanyama leading the charge for San Antonio. The stage is set for the 2026 NBA Finals: San Antonio seeking its sixth championship banner against New York’s quest to end a 53-year title drought.
The series opens Wednesday night in San Antonio.
This championship showdown offers compelling storylines beyond the historical parallel — notably, these same squads battled in this season’s NBA Cup final, which New York captured. The series combines the global appeal of America’s biggest city with the international flair of France’s basketball phenom, while continuing an unprecedented era of league-wide competitive balance.
Regardless of which team claims victory, the winner will become the eighth different organization to capture a championship over the past eight seasons — marking the longest streak of title diversity in league annals. Toronto claimed the crown in 2019, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023, Boston in 2024, Oklahoma City last season, and now either New York or San Antonio will join that exclusive group.
San Antonio’s victory over Oklahoma City on Saturday night highlighted another element of this competitive balance — no defending champion has returned to the Finals since Golden State accomplished the feat by winning in 2018 and advancing again in 2019.
The Knicks aim to accomplish something not achieved since the era of Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe and Phil Jackson — capturing the ultimate prize. Since New York’s last championship, 17 different organizations have hoisted championship trophies, with the Los Angeles Lakers collecting 11 titles during that stretch, Boston claiming seven, Chicago earning six and Golden State winning five.
New York has captured the city’s attention after reaching their first Finals since 1999. The atmosphere was markedly different just one month earlier, when the Knicks found themselves trailing Atlanta 2-1 following consecutive one-point defeats in Games 2 and 3 of their opening playoff round.
Since that low point, New York has been unstoppable at 11-0, with most victories coming by decisive margins. Knicks guard Jalen Brunson emphasized the importance of maintaining focus regardless of external commentary.
“When there’s negative things being said about you, it’s important to ignore them,” Brunson said. “When there’s positive things about you, it’s easy to be able to read them to make you feel good. But you can’t do one and not the other. Just block it out as best you can.”
During the regular season, the teams essentially split their encounters. New York captured two of three meetings, though the NBA Cup championship game — effectively an 83rd contest in an 82-game schedule — doesn’t factor into official league records or statistics.
Each squad protected their home court during regular season play. Julian Champagnie connected on 11 three-point attempts while Wembanyama contributed 31 points as the Spurs rallied for a 134-132 victory over New York on Dec. 31. The Knicks responded with a fourth-quarter surge to secure a 114-89 triumph on March 1, ending San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak, before also claiming the Cup final in Las Vegas.
Predictably, the Spurs — who hold home-court advantage — entered as early betting favorites for the series. They opened with odds of -210 on Saturday evening, requiring bettors to risk $210 to win $100.
The Knicks were listed at +170 odds.
