NBA Finals 2026: San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks Reignite Rivalry With NBA Cup Precedent

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks will open the 2026 NBA Finals on Wednesday in Texas, a series marked by a recent precedent: the Knicks' victory over the Spurs in the NBA Cup final played in December. Although San Antonio enters as the championship favorite, the New York team has already proven this season it can compete and beat the squad led by Victor Wembanyama.

That 124-113 victory in Las Vegas remains fresh in the memory of several Spurs players, who now seek a much more important revenge in the fight for the championship.

The San Antonio Spurs reached the NBA Finals after a grueling series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Texas team eliminated the defending champion in seven games and confirmed the definitive growth of a project built around Victor Wembanyama.

The French center arrives at the series as one of the great figures of these playoffs. In 17 postseason games, Wembanyama has averaged 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks—numbers that explain much of the Spurs' success in their return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014.

However, the New York Knicks arrive in San Antonio riding the best stretch of the entire season. The squad coached by Mike Brown has accumulated eleven consecutive playoff victories and just swept the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Despite that extraordinary run, predictions still clearly favor the Spurs. A situation that doesn't seem to bother Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

The New York point guard acknowledged that the team has dealt with external doubts throughout the season about their real chances to compete at the highest level. Brunson insisted that the group has never paid too much attention to that noise and that the only objective remains to complete the work started months ago.

The Knicks' presence in the NBA Finals also carries enormous historical weight. The franchise returns to the championship round for the first time since 1999, precisely when it fell to the Spurs in five games. Additionally, New York seeks to win its first championship since 1973.

A family connection adds another special element to the series. In those 1999 Finals, Rick Brunson was part of the New York roster—now an assistant coach for the Knicks and father of Jalen Brunson—a circumstance the point guard acknowledged as a special detail though he assured he keeps his full attention focused on the competition.

Meanwhile, Mike Brown faces his first NBA Finals as head coach of New York after replacing Tom Thibodeau last summer. The coach believes the team's ability to overcome difficult moments throughout the season has been key to reaching this point.

On the San Antonio side, one of the main questions remains the physical condition of De'Aaron Fox. The point guard continues recovering from right ankle problems that affected his performance during the Western Conference Finals series against Oklahoma City. Fox missed the first two games of the Western Finals and later averaged 11.2 points without yet being at one hundred percent.

The Knicks also arrive with concerns about Mitchell Robinson's status, listed as questionable with a fractured pinky finger on his right hand. The center had a decisive performance in the NBA Cup final against San Antonio by grabbing 15 rebounds in just 18 minutes.

The regular season and NBA Cup proved that the New York Knicks know how to compete against the San Antonio Spurs. The New Yorkers have won eight of the last twelve matchups between the two teams and prevailed in two of the three games played this season.

Now, with the NBA championship on the line, both franchises will have the opportunity to write a new chapter of a rivalry that crosses paths once again on the biggest stage in world basketball.