The 2026 NBA Finals are about to get underway. Featuring the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, the series looks really appetizing for neutral fans. In fact, you could feel a change of pace and buzz once we got confirmation that it would be a Spurs-Knicks matchup.
As with every season, there are plenty of reasons to tune into the NBA Finals, yet this series feels a bit more compelling than most, not least for the fact it feels like it will go the distance. Below, we look at five reasons why you shouldn’t miss it:
The Knicks and Spurs Fight & Embrace History
It has been a long, long time coming for one of the biggest franchises in US sports. The New York Knicks have not been in an NBA Finals series in 27 years, and it has been 53 years since the team won a championship. The fanbase is acutely aware of this, and the fact that an opportunity like this might not come around for another few decades. The team has a huge – global fanbase – and the excitement feels palpable. For the Spurs, too, there is a chance to put one of the most successful franchises in the modern era back where it belongs.
An Evenly Matched Contest
While fans of winning teams won’t mind, a lot of recent NBA Finals have been one-sided. Even last year’s series, where the Pacers pushed the Thunder all the way to seven games, didn’t feel as close as it was on paper. This time around, those who check the NBA odds will find the Spurs as marginal favorites, but the odds could be wrong. Neither team has much Finals experience in its rosters, and, in truth, neither team expected to be here at the start of the season. It feels really evenly matched.
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It’s the 1999 Rematch
The last time the Knicks made the NBA Finals, it was also the San Antonio Spurs, with the latter winning out 4-1. Back then, it was Duncan and Ewing, but this time it will be Wembanyama and Brunson. It is, however, a simple indication that these are two teams steeped in history, even if the Knicks’ recent history has been characterized by a lack of success.
Victor Wembanyama
If you got the chance to watch Michael Jordan in the 1980s or LeBron James in the early 2000s, would you take it? Well, that’s the level of expectation that surrounds Victor Wembanyama right now. The young Frenchman is tipped to become one of the sport’s all-time greats, and he has been dragging the San Antonio Spurs through the Playoffs like a man possessed. The Finals are about more than one player, but Wembanyama has suddenly become box-office viewing. Watching him feels like watching history unfold.
This Feels Like a New Era
With the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and others coming to the end of their careers, it does feel like the beginning of a new era in the NBA. Wembanyama might epitomize that at 22, but there are others, such as the Spurs’ Stephon Castle, who look ready to step up to the plate and become the faces of the NBA. For the Spurs, in particular, it feels like the beginning, not an endpoint.
