The 2026 NBA Finals are set, and the matchup carries a heavy dose of history: the New York Knicks against the San Antonio Spurs, a rematch of the 1999 Finals that delivered San Antonio its first championship against an eighth-seeded New York team. It is the Knicks' first trip to the Finals in 27 years and the Spurs' first since 2014.
Previewing the series on television, Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady framed it as a clash of styles and generations. Anthony argued the Knicks' identity is built on physicality and getting downhill — with Jalen Brunson hunting the paint as their closer and Karl-Anthony Towns operating as both a floor-spacer and, in recent rounds, a facilitator from the top of the key.
The complication, Anthony suggested, is the 7-foot-4 problem waiting at the rim. He pointed to Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, where he felt opposing players were reluctant to challenge Victor Wembanyama inside, and questioned whether New York can still live in the paint against a defender who changes everything around the basket.
McGrady zeroed in on two matchups he plans to watch. The first is who guards Brunson, with San Antonio able to throw a rotation of long, athletic perimeter defenders — Stephon Castle, De'Aaron Fox and rookie Dylan Harper among them — at the Knicks' star. The second is Towns against Wembanyama, a test of discipline for a player McGrady noted is prone to picking up cheap fouls. He cautioned that foul trouble for Towns, with Mitchell Robinson's status uncertain, could swing the dynamic of the series.
Carter highlighted the chess match in lineup construction, noting both teams can go big or small and that the series may hinge on which coach — New York's Mike Brown or San Antonio's Mitch Johnson — better hunts mismatches over a seven-game series.
The panel also flagged how dominant the Knicks have looked. New York swept its way into the Finals and, the broadcast noted, carried a cumulative scoring margin of plus-271 through the playoffs — described on air as the largest point differential of any team on a run to the Finals. Anthony added a note of caution, pointing out that the Knicks have not yet faced a defense with San Antonio's combination of size and switchability.
For all the tactical talk, the trio made clear they expect a heavyweight series. Anthony said he intends to watch this one as a fan, while Carter said he plans to be "in the building." Game 1 tips off in San Antonio, where a rested New York side meets a battle-tested Spurs team carrying the momentum of a Game 7 road win over the defending champions.
