OKLAHOMA CITY — A familiar storyline unfolds as the New York Knicks gear up for the NBA Finals. Their last appearance on this grand stage saw them face off against the San Antonio Spurs, a team then propelled by the formidable Tim Duncan. Fast forward to the present, and the Spurs find themselves with another prodigious big man, Victor Wembanyama, ready to make his Finals debut.
History seems to be repeating itself.
In a fascinating twist of fate, the 2026 NBA Finals will once again feature the Knicks and the Spurs. San Antonio is aiming for its sixth championship title, while the Knicks are eager to break a 53-year title drought. Game 1 is set for Wednesday in San Antonio.
This matchup is intriguing on many levels. It’s a redux of this season’s NBA Cup, which the Knicks claimed. The pairing showcases New York’s allure as a global powerhouse and introduces Wembanyama, the French superstar, adding an international flair. Furthermore, this matchup continues a unique era of parity within the league.
Regardless of the outcome, the new champion will be the eighth different team to claim the title in as many years, marking an unprecedented streak in NBA history. The recent champions list includes Toronto (2019), the Los Angeles Lakers (2020), Milwaukee (2021), Golden State (2022), Denver (2023), Boston (2024), and Oklahoma City (last year). Now, either New York or San Antonio will join this diverse array of victors.
No matter who wins this series, it’ll be the eighth different franchise to win a title in the last eight seasons – extending the longest such stretch in NBA history. Toronto won in 2019, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, then Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023, Boston in 2024, Oklahoma City last year, and now either New York or San Antonio will be added to that list.
The Spurs’ win in Oklahoma City on Saturday night extended another part of the parity puzzle, that being no defending champion has even gotten back to the NBA Finals since Golden State won in 2018 and returned in 2019.
The Knicks are trying to do something not done since the days of Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley, Earl Monroe and Phil Jackson – that being, win it all. There have been 17 different franchises (18 if the Thunder and Seattle SuperSonics are considered separately, as some fans prefer) that have celebrated championships since the Knicks last won the title, with the Los Angeles Lakers having won 11 crowns in that span, Boston winning seven, Chicago six and Golden State five.
They’re the talk of New York right now, after earning their first finals trip since 1999. The mood was quite different a month ago, when New York trailed Atlanta 2-1 after back-to-back one-point losses in Games 2 and 3 of their first-round series.
New York is 11-0 since, winning almost all those games by blowout. And if the team didn’t hear the negative noise from Round 1, it can’t hear all the effusive praise coming now, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said.
“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.”
The series
Technically, the teams went 1-1 against each other. New York won two of the three meetings, but the NBA Cup final matchup – essentially an 83rd game in an 82-game season – doesn’t count in any league records or statistics.
Both teams won their home game against the other this season. Julian Champagnie made 11 3-pointers and Wembanyama scored 31 points to lead the Spurs to a comeback 134-132 win over New York on Dec. 31. The Knicks pulled away in the fourth to a 114-89 win on March 1 to snap San Antonio’s 11-game winning streak, plus won the Cup final in Las Vegas.
The odds
As would be expected, the Spurs – who have home-court advantage – are the early favorites to win the series. They were listed with odds of -210 on Saturday night, meaning bettors would to wager $210 to win $100.
The Knicks had odds of +170.
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
