There is more to this series than how Victor Wembanyama impacts both ends of the court. But that's also a huge factor.
The 2026 NBA Finals are a rematch of the showdown from 27 years ago, won by the Spurs in five games behind Finals MVP Tim Duncan.
This year, it’s another fascinating matchup of a Spurs big man — Victor Wembanyama — and a fast-rising young core in San Antonio going against a team on a historic hot streak in the New York Knicks, paced by point guard Jalen Brunson. This is also a rematch of the NBA Cup Finals game from December, which you know is making Adam Silver smile.
In that game, the Knicks outscored the Spurs 35-19 in the fourth quarter to come from behind and get the win, showing the kind of grit they will need in this series if they want to repeat that outcome. It’s worth noting that a year ago, Oklahoma City lost in the NBA Cup Finals only to bounce back and win the NBA Title. Who is the player to watch in this year’s Finals?
What are the keys to keep an eye on if the Knicks are going to win their first title since 1973, or if Wembanyama and the Spurs are going to put the league on notice earlier than expected? Here is everything you need to know in a preview of the NBA Finals.
Game 1: New York at San Antonio, Wednesday, June 3 Game 3: San Antonio at New York, Monday, June 8 *Game 5: New York at San Antonio, June 13 *Game 7: New York at San Antonio, June 19 Is this postseason, the first of his young NBA career, the beginning of the league’s “Wembanyama Era? ” It very well could be, given the Spurs’ center’s physical gifts, approach to the game and the teammates around him.
Wembanyama has been excellent throughout the postseason and is more than capable of leading the Spurs to their first title since 2014. However, this matchup stands to be a bit more challenging, as the Knicks have been on fire since deciding to play more through Karl-Anthony Towns offensively. Do the Spurs have Wembanyama guard KAT throughout the series?
Or do they put Wemby on Josh Hart, which, in theory, would allow him to play more of a “free safety” role defensively? How Wembanyama is utilized and how the Knicks attack him will say a lot about how the NBA Finals go. Can Spurs defense stall out Knicks?
New York enters the NBA Finals on a historic hot streak offensively — their ball movement and shot making have been brilliant and peaked at the right time, leading to 11-straight wins. The Knicks’ offense started to thrive under Mike Brown when they began using Karl-Anthony Towns more as a high-post hub and offensive initiator and had players cutting off him.
When the Cavaliers were able to limit that approach — because Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are both quality defenders — Jalen Brunson went to work and hunted James Harden and others relentlessly. However, what has really fueled the Knicks is red-hot 3-point shooting and strong wing play from OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges .
Then add Landry Shamet and Miles McBride , who hit everything when they come in off the bench. As a team, the Knicks are shooting 40% from 3 this postseason. Doing that against the Hawks and Cavaliers is one thing, doing it against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs is another entirely.
In the final minutes of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, with the Thunder trailing and their season on the line, both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Alex Caruso drove hard to the rim, then realized they had to bail out and threw a desperation pass back out of the paint — such is the presence of Wemby. But it’s not just him.
Stephon Castle is a high-level on-ball defender, and the guard/wing rotation with De’Aaron Fox, Julian Champagnie, Dylan Harper, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson are all plus defenders. Put more bluntly: There is no James Harden to hunt in the NBA Finals. The Spurs are long, athletic and disciplined across the board. There are no obvious weak links.
They come out of a series where they had to play elite defense to advance. New York comes in playing like a juggernaut and with the confidence they can score in this matchup — in the regular season, no team scored more points per possession in their matchups with the Spurs than the Knicks.
However, doing that in December and March is one thing, doing it in June with the Spurs playing their best ball is another. Can the Knicks stay this hot against this defense? It will decide the series. Maybe the most underrated part of the Knicks — both all season and during this postseason run — has been their defense.
New York had the seventh-best defense in the NBA during the regular season, then has the best defensive rating in the NBA for the playoffs . What’s more, the Knicks were able to slow the Spurs during the season. In the NBA Cup win, the Knicks held the Spurs to 19 points in the fourth quarter sparking New York’s comeback win.
In the March meeting, the Knicks’ defense was dominant, the New York wings cut off the Spurs’ dribble penetration, and San Antonio shot just 41% from the floor with 21 turnovers. San Antonio is playing better, with more confidence now than they have in the past, but they are going to have to show they can score at a high level on the Knicks to win this series.
If New York’s defense is dominant again, it will have a new banner to hang in Madison Square Garden. When these two teams played on March 1, Mikal Bridges scored 25 in one of his better games of the season. In the NBA Cup Finals, OG Anunoby scored 28 and had nine rebounds. New York swept Cleveland out of the playoffs in part because they dominated play on the wings .
Against the Cavs, the duo combined to average 34.8 points and 10.2 rebounds a game, while playing stifling defense. San Antonio presents a whole different level of size, physicality and skill with its guard-wing rotation. Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell start at the 2/3, with Dylan Harper, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes off the bench.
New York is not going to own play on the wings like they did last series, but if the Knicks are going to win this series, Bridges and Anunoby must outplay their counterparts for the majority of games.
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