This year’s NBA Finals brings together a franchise riding an impressive 11-game winning streak against a squad anchored by a towering 7-foot-4 phenom.
New York has been resting since completing a sweep of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference championship on May 25, marking their first Finals berth since 1999. During that previous appearance, they faced San Antonio, with the Spurs claiming victory in five contests for their inaugural championship under coach Gregg Popovich, who would go on to guide the team to five total titles.
Once again finding themselves in the underdog role, New York faces a challenging path to capture their first championship since 1973. Sportsbooks have installed the Jalen Brunson-led squad at +170 odds according to both BetMGM and DraftKings, while San Antonio — featuring 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama — stands as the favorite at -210 and -205 respectively.
In Saturday’s decisive seventh game against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, Wembanyama contributed 22 points and seven rebounds as San Antonio prevailed 111-103 over reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his teammates in the Western Conference championship.
San Antonio, seeking their first championship in 12 years, will welcome New York for Game 1 of the Finals on Wednesday evening.
The teams split their regular season series, though New York emerged victorious 124-113 when they met in the NBA Cup Final on Dec. 16.
