The New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs will meet again on the NBA Finals stage for the first time in 27 years.
The Knicks and Spurs will play Game 1 of the 2025-2026 NBA Finals, a best-of-seven series, at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, at 9:30 a.m. Korea time on June 4. With a higher regular-season winning percentage, San Antonio has secured home-court advantage, hosting Games 1, 2, 5 and 7. New York will host Games 3, 4 and 6.
This marks just the second time the two franchises have met in the Finals, with the first dating back to the 1998-1999 season. Led by legendary forward Tim Duncan, San Antonio defeated New York 4-1 in that series to claim the first championship in franchise history.
San Antonio went on to win additional titles in the 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007 and 2013-2014 seasons, bringing its total to five championships. That ranks fifth in NBA history, behind the Boston Celtics (18), Los Angeles Lakers (17), Golden State Warriors (7) and Chicago Bulls (6).
New York, meanwhile, has returned to the Finals after a long drought of 27 years. The Knicks, who captured titles in the 1969-1970 and 1972-1973 seasons, are seeking their third championship in 53 years and revenge against the Spurs.
In their head-to-head matchups this season, New York holds a 2-1 edge. The teams split their two regular-season games, but the Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113 in the NBA Cup final last December to lift the trophy. San Antonio will look to avenge that loss in the Finals.
The biggest wild card in this series is Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. In his first career playoffs, Wembanyama has averaged 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 3.5 blocks and 0.9 steals, leading his team to the Finals. Against New York this season, he posted strong averages of 24.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
The Knicks are expected to focus their defensive efforts on containing Wembanyama through Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. The performance of Jalen Brunson, the heart of New York's offense and the NBA Cup MVP, will also be critical. Brunson has led the team's offense in this postseason with averages of 26.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 0.9 steals.
"For New York to win the championship, Brunson has to deliver his best performances in clutch situations," ESPN said. "San Antonio is likely to assign Stephon Castle, who effectively shut down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Western Conference finals, to defend Brunson."
