After a thrilling NBA Playoffs, the New York Knicks now know their opponent in the NBA Finals. The Knicks swept the Cleveland Cavaliers and patiently awaited the conclusion of the Western Conference Finals. Not only will they enter the series well-rested, but they have also had ample time to study their next challenger.
What may be most impressive about both conference champions is that they clinched their respective conference titles on the road. Facing a 3-2 series deficit, the San Antonio Spurs responded with urgency in Games 6 and 7, smothering Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder offense when it mattered most.
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Led by Conference Finals MVP Victor Wembanyama, Spurs completed their comeback against the Thunder on Saturday night. They earned a hard-fought Game 7 victory to advance to the NBA Finals.
Oklahoma City rallied from a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit in the deciding game and briefly threatened to complete a dramatic comeback. However, the Spurs held firm. After overcoming a series deficit, San Antonio secured the final game on the road and punched its ticket to the Finals. In the process, the Thunder fell short of joining their NBA MVP in repeating as champions.
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Party like it’s 1999?
The Spurs have not had to wait nearly as long. San Antonio’s most recent Finals appearance came in 2014, when NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard led the franchise to a 4-1 series victory and its fifth championship in team history. Their first? In 1999 against… the Knicks–New York’s last NBA Finals appearance.
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This year’s Finals will also mark the first appearance for the Spurs without Gregg Popovich as head coach. Instead, Mitch Johnson will make his NBA Finals debut as San Antonio’s leader on the sidelines.
Excitement has reached a fever pitch in New York, where the Knicks have an opportunity to bring home their first NBA championship in more than five decades. Meanwhile, Spurs fans could be witnessing the beginning of a new dynasty just 12 years after the franchise’s last title.
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Game 1 of the NBA Finals is set for Wednesday, June 3, in San Antonio. The series will not shift to New York until Game 3, which is currently scheduled for Monday, June 8.
Who will capture the NBA championship? Will it be the long-awaited return of the New York Knicks to the top of the basketball world, or will the San Antonio Spurs add another chapter to their storied legacy?