Getting to the postseason is half the battle, so let’s take a little bit of a look at how teams got here, then the matchups, and ultimately, my pick for who wins and the series spread.San Antonio Spurs C Victor Wembanyama goes up for a dunk against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.(Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)The Knicks were the third seed in the Eastern Conference at 53-29.
They had a strong season, but I wouldn’t exactly say it was overly impressive.They were just 22-19 on the road in the regular season, and that, to me, is an indicator that a team might not be very good.
Role players tend to play worse on the road, but there is more to it than just that.It can be a sign of a lack of focus or something else, as well.
Whatever it is, they’ve been fine in the postseason, going 12-2 with their two losses by a combined two points.The Spurs had a much more difficult trip to get here, but their regular season saw them go 62-20 and secure the No.2 seed in the conference.
They have home court advantage here, and were 32-8 during the regular season at home.They have, however, lost three games at home this postseason.
The Portland Trail Blazers took them to five games, the Minnesota Timberwolves (an ailing team) took them to six games, and the Thunder lost in seven.The Thunder were also missing their second-best player and a very good role player.2026 NBA FINALS PREVIEW: NEW YORK KNICKS VS SAN ANTONIO SPURS BEST BETS FOR SERIES, MVP PLAYER PROPSNew York Knicks C Mitchell Robinson and San Antonio Spurs big Victor Wembanyama battle for the loose ball at Frost Bank Center in Texas.
(Scott Wachter-Imagn Images)I’m not trying to diminish the Spurs' accomplishments, but they didn’t exactly beat 100% healthy teams, and they struggled while doing it.If the Knicks had that happen to them, everyone would be discrediting them.
The Knicks did get their own share of luck, now playing a team that went seven games in their previous series for the third straigh...