Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The 2026 Finals will be a special series

What a time to be alive for New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs fans. The former have patiently waited to get back to the promised land since their magical eighth-seed run in 1999, and the latter has come this far in the build’s first playoff run.

Keep in mind that these have been the most-watched playoffs in 28 years, per NBA Communications. The Finals start on Wednesday in San Antonio and those numbers should be great as well. 

The Knicks last won in 1973 defeating the Los Angeles Lakers for the second time, and Willis Reed, who hit a momentous mid-range jumper late, was the Finals MVP. Yet, it shouldn’t be forgotten how critical Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s third-quarter takeover was in the closeout Game 5, which was also Wilt Chamberlain‘s last outing.

The Spurs’ fifth ring came in 2014 after they savaged the Big Three Miami Heat. Kawhi Leonard was Finals MVP, and he erupted into Miami’s bringer of panic, pain and partition. 

So it’s been a long time coming — and this encounter can’t be a bigger embarrassment for Vivek Ranadivé, owner of the wasting Sacramento Kings, which had De’Aaron Fox and Mike Brown both on the team as late as the 2023-24 season.

The Knicks had their guts tested when down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks, and haven’t lost since. Take a look at these playoff stats:

Jalen Brunson has been tearing up any scheme, and is making 54.7 percent of his two-pointers.

Karl-Anthony Towns has more than doubled his playoff assists average (5.9).

Mikal Bridges is scoring 16.6 points, shooting 63.8 percent over his last 11 games.

The Knicks have the top defensive rating in the playoffs (103.5).

New York has the highest rebounding percentage (54.8).

One of their most important tasks will be limiting the Spurs in transition. Notably, the Spurs have the highest playoff frequency, but the Knicks have been more efficient, logging a sharp 1.32 points per possession. 

Now take a look at these playoff numbers for San Antonio:

They have the second-best defensive rating (104.4).

Victor Wembanyama is scoring 11.2 points in the paint and taking 6.8 free throws per game (87 percent).

De’Aaron Fox averages the most deflections on the team (3.4) and recovers the most loose balls (offense 0.6, defense 0.6).

One of the things to keep an eye on is the 3-point shooting. They allow between 17 and 18 wide-open 3-point attempts per night, but New York has been drastically affected less, giving up 31.8 percent to San Antonio’s 37.1. The winner of this series could be determined by which team is more disciplined, staying attached to shooters, especially late if the game is close.

Another thing to key in on will be who Karl-Anthony Towns guards if OG Anunoby is checking Wemby. Expect the Spurs to test Towns’ resistance defending at the level of the screen, too. 

Considering how the Knicks will be the strongest opponent the Spurs have seen, it might be a good idea for coach Mitch Johnson to play Wembanyama more than 37.7 minutes per game, like was allowed in the Western Conference Finals against Oklahoma City. He’s a top-shelf athlete so he should be able to power into the 40s.

The outcomes are tantalizing. If the Spurs win, Wembanyama will be crowned as the new face of the league. And if New York triumphs with Brunson leading the charge, like he has been, the he will join rarified air next to Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry as the small guards of history to lead their team to a championship.