Just last year, the San Antonio Spurs were waiting on bated breath to see where their lottery pick would fall in the NBA Draft. Flash forward to today, when the Spurs’ young core will play in Game One of the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.

The stakes are clear: the Spurs have a chance to kick off a new dynasty earlier than expected by winning their first championship since Tim Duncan and the big three won in 2014. The Knicks have a lot of historical baggage as well. This will be New York’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. The franchise hasn’t won a championship since 1973.

It’s also a big moment for the NBA Cup! It’s the first time the NBA Finals have replicated the Cup finals. The Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113 in the Cup. New York won the overall season series 2-1. However, both teams look much different now than they did in the regular season.

The Knicks’ path to the Finals has been simple. They beat the Atlanta Hawks in six games, then swept both the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers to get here. They have won 11 straight games heading into Game One. The Spurs are coming off an emotional 7-game Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Before that, they defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in five games and the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games.

Both teams bring versatile, star-studded rosters. Victor Wembanyama will headline the series, leading his squad to the Finals in his first playoff run. He is the anchor for one of the best defenses in the NBA. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns lead the New York Knicks, one of the league’s best offensive teams. Both teams bring unique strengths and counters to the table in what should be a chess match of a series.

The Knicks played their last playoff game 10 days ago on May 25th, while the Spurs are coming off an intense seven-game series. Rest vs. rust will be a real factor in Game One in San Antonio. The Spurs will look to carry the momentum from Game Seven of the Western Conference Finals and defend home court as they attempt to win four more games and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.

San Antonio Spurs (0-0) vs. New York Knicks (0-0)June 3rd, 2026 | 7:30 PM CTWatch: ABC / ESPN | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: No injuries to report.

Knicks Injuries: Mitchell Robinson – Questionable (hand)

What to watch for:San Antonio’s matchups

The Knicks pose real matchup problems for the Spurs. Towns is a bruising big man who can also shoot the three. OG Anunoby is a big, strong wing who can play inside and out. San Antonio’s defensive scheme is focused on Wembanyama roaming off of a non-shooter so he can protect the rim, while the team around him scrambles to guard the perimeter. Everything funnels into Wemby. The issue with this strategy against the Knicks is that Towns and Anunoby are so big that they can punish smaller defenders who get cross-matched onto them.

Mitch Johnson is faced with a choice: put Wembanyama on a non-shooter like Josh Hart, and risk Towns beating a smaller defender like Stephon Castle inside, or put Wembanyama on Towns and risk the Knicks pulling him away from the paint. The Spurs’ defensive game plan and its effectiveness are the most important things to track in Game One.

Winning the possession battle

Where have you heard this before? One critical factor for the Spurs throughout the postseason has been reducing turnovers and securing the glass. Turnovers crushed the Spurs in both losses to the Knicks in the regular season. They also got crushed on the glass. San Antonio won’t stand a chance if they are giving New York extra possessions by turning it over and letting them pound the offensive boards. At the same time, San Antonio’s defense is smothering and is at its best when it is creating easy offensive looks in transition. The Spurs can gain an advantage in the possession battle by forcing giveaways, even if the Knicks aren’t a turnover-prone squad (12.4 turnovers per game in the playoffs).

Three-point shooting

The Spurs really haven’t faced a team that has consistently made it rain on them this postseason. The Knicks have been shooting the three-ball well in the postseason, knocking down 40% of their deep shots. That said, they have a few players who have been up-and-down shooting the ball, including starters Hart and Mikal Bridges. Their three-point shooting becomes very important in this series. San Antonio needs shooting from its role players, too. Devin Vassell and Julian Champagnie add a lot if they are knocking down threes. De’Aaron Fox’s shooting is an x-factor in the series. When he can take the top off the defense, it opens a lot of stuff up for the Spurs around the rim.

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