The NBA Finals will see the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs face off in a repeat matchup of the 1999 Finals. The teams faced off in the 2025 NBA cup that occurred in this year’s regular season; a game in which the Knicks won out. Game 1 of this prestigious event kicked off last night in the Spurs’ home arena with the Knicks off to a winning start.

Game 1 of the NBA Finals concluded Wednesday, June 3, and the Knicks pulled off a come-from-behind win over the Spurs. The Knicks are currently on a 12-game win streak and currently have all the momentum. Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs still feel confident in the series and have experience in being behind in a series.

Winning a Championship would be a return to form for both franchises. The Knicks have not won in over 50 years, winning in 1970 and 1973. The Spurs’ success was more recent with their newest Championship in 2014 and hoping for their sixth Championship in total.

Will the Spurs bounce back and even the score? Or will the red-hot Knicks continue blazing a path towards the Championship? Game 2 starts on 5:30 p.m. on June 5, 2026.

To get to this point, both teams have fought hard, beating out challenging rivals, but the two teams had divergent paths through the first three rounds of the playoffs.

In the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Knicks won 4-0 over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coming off of another sweep in the Semifinal round (defeating the 76ers 4-0) the Knicks looked revitalized. After the Knicks comeback win in Game 1, the Cavaliers were deflated and lost. Game after game, the Cavaliers looked lifeless in the series and Jalen Brunson led the charge for the Knicks. 

New York City came to life and fans outside of Madison Square Garden gathered for the success of their home team. In close-out games, the Knicks would end with a tremendous lead, Jalen Brunson commented, “it’s about focusing on one possession at a time.” Prioritizing the current play and not thinking about the total score or game series count. Each player plays hard and fights for every ball possession.

In the Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs won 4-3 over the Oklahoma City Thunder. This tumultuous series was a stark contrast to their Eastern Conference counterparts. Game 1 was an overtime victory for the San Antonio Spurs on the Thunder’s home court. 

However, the Thunder answered back in Game 2 and Game 3, pulling ahead in the series 2-1. Game 4 was a wakeup call for the Spurs, and a much needed win, to tie the series 2-2. Returning back to Oklahoma for Game 5, the home team took back the lead and created a do-or-die situation for the San Antonio Spurs, leading the series 3-2. The Spurs tied up the series in Game 6 on San Antonio’s home court, forcing a final Game 7, which was to be played in the Thunder’s home arena. 

Victor Wembanyama and company looked determined to advance to the finals. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder faltered with a poor performance from Chet Holmgren in the final game. The Spurs won Game 7, 111-103, clinching their trip to the Finals. An outburst of emotion erupted from the star player, Victor Wembanyama after the game concluded. 

He recounted his feelings saying, winning the Larry O’Brien trophy is a childhood dream of his. The conviction and path of achieving his childhood dream is coming to fruition and it would be hard for most players to not be emotional about advancing to the NBA Finals.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player for the current season. The award ceremony was held in Paycom Center, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s home arena, which motivated Victor Wemanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.