There’s no peace on Earth for the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs this Christmas season.
New York and San Antonio are the last two left standing for in-season glory, set to play for the NBA Cup championship on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Both sides are going for their first such title in this rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, a 4-1 triumph for San Antonio.
The Knicks made it this far by winning Group C in the Eastern Conference before dispatching of Toronto and Orlando in the knockout round. In Saturday’s semifinal, the Knicks earned a 132-120 triumph over the Magic behind a season-best 40-point showing from captain Jalen Brunson. It was part of a scintillating shooting effort for New York, who hit just under 61% of its tries from the field and scored a season-best 70 points in the paint, a good bit coming a tally of 29 for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Short after the Knicks mastered the Magic, the Spurs earned one of the more significant outputs of the season with a 111-109 win over the mighty Oklahoma City Thunder, dealing the defending postseason champions just their second loss this season. It was a triumphant return from injury for franchise face Victor Wembanyama, who needed but 20 minutes to put up 22 points and nine rebounds in his first game back from a calf injury that forced him to miss the prior dozen.
The Knicks and Spurs were originally supposed to meet for the first time on New Year’s Eve before San Antonio made the return trip to Madison Square Garden in March. Both sides stand to benefit from whatever value the NBA Cup holds: the Knicks are seeking to raise the first commemorative banner of their kind at Madison Square Garden since their division title triumph in 2012-13 while San Antonio could use a sign of assurance that their ongoing rebuild is moving in the right direction. Tuesday’s game will not count toward the regular season standings.
What: New York Knicks (18-7, 5-1) vs. San Antonio Spurs (18-7, 5-1)
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
When: Tuesday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Prime Video
Who’s Favored: NYK -2.5
Keep An Eye On: Karl-Anthony Towns
The Knicks could use a banner to herald the Brunson era, which has achieved plenty beyond the glaring lack of laundry in the MSG rafters. Equally valuable would be a banner for Towns, who is widely viewed as the proverbial big splash the Knicks made when the goal went from winning playoff series to finally ending the NBA Finals appearance drought.
With trade season in full swing, however, some believe that the Knicks may send off one big splash for another, as Towns’ name has widely been included in mock deals that obtain Giannis Antetokounmpo. Towns has responded to the pressure well during the bracketed portions of the Cup competition, playing shutdown defense to create a turning point in Toronto before lashing out in the Strip’s lane against the Magic. Considering the other-worldly presence that patrols the paint in San Antonio, a similar performance could be huge in the quest for in-season glory.
Spur to Watch: Devin Vassell
The Spurs, of course, are led by their dueling ROTYs in Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, but the Knicks are well-too-versed in death via depth against San Antonio: each passing year without a return trip to the Finals makes Avery Johnson’s antics in 1999 all the more painful. More recently, Sandro Mamukelashvili (now stationed with the Knicks’ quarterfinal victims in Toronto) scored 34 points in 19 minutes to help the Spurs split last year’s annual pair.
Though a Spurs starting staple, Vassell sometimes get overlooked with the other young studs stationed. But the Knicks’ ultimate weakness in this new Mike Brown era has been their alarming propensity to give up three-pointers as they engage in more shootouts. Vassell stands to be the ultimate threat in that endeavor, one that could allow the Spurs to steal further momentum in their quest to establish legitimacy for the Wembanyama era.
They Said It
“It would mean a lot. I think it’ll give us some good energy, good mojo. When you get that feeling of winning a championship in any sort of tournament, the NBA Finals, that feeling is something you chase. To get a taste of winning, I think it would a lot for us … It also brings that feeling of winning. No matter if it’s the Cup, NBA Finals, winning any game, when you get that feeling of winning, it’s addictive. Obviously, I want us to have that mindset where we’re addicted to the next championship if we can win this one.”—Towns on a potential NBA Cup win (h/t David Yapkowitz, Clutch Points)
“It’s not going to be a super significant step, but still a significant one, because it’s a high-stakes game that both teams are going to be very invested in winning. It just shows that we are preparing and we will pass the next step for more significant games in the playoffs. As competitors, this is a complicated explanation, but it’s as simple as that: As competitors, we want to win every game, and this one brings something new on the table, so we want to win it even more.”—Wembanyama on a potential NBA Cup Win (h/t Associated Press)
Prediction
With every passing minute, the NBA Cup feels more like a distraction for the Knicks, who would almost be better off not having to deal with the campy pressure of how to properly celebrate an in-season title. That’s less of an issue for the Spurs, who may already carry something more valuable in the form of a statement win over the mighty Thunder.
With that in mind, however, the Cup becomes just a little more valuable to the Knicks, who could stand to earn some validation for their recent success. As the past two pratfalls against the Pacers have shown, the Knicks could stand to benefit from a championship setting and prevailing in it, not matter how artificial or manufactured. Expect the Knicks to take advantage in that regard.
