Are New York Knicks fans finally free at 53? Or is there more in store at 54?

New York is set to embark on what’s sure to be its most thrilling four-to-seven games in quite some time, as the Knicks seek to end the city’s dearth of (men’s) professional basketball titles in the 2026 NBA Finals. Standing in the way are the San Antonio Spurs, who infamously denied the Knicks a chance at stopping their streak back in 1999.

The series gets underway on Tuesday night (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), which features the first of two games near the River Walk. A couple of raucous Madison Square Garden parties are set to be staged next week, before the teams alternate homecourt in the “if necessary” portions.

Does a(nother) banner await? Experts of X-Factor ponder the possibility…

Geoff Magliocchetti

Pinning the entire NBA Finals on the status of a backup center seems egregious. But the most basic, if not vital, metrics prove the value of Mitchell Robinson.

Since Robinson began playing regular minutes for the Knicks again in late February 2025, New York has posted an 88-50 record in the regular season and playoffs. Only the formerly defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder has put up more wins in that span. It’s thus safe to say that any sort of Robinson ailment will leave the Knicks shorthanded as they try to be among the first to contain Victor Wembanyama in his quest to become the new face of the league.

Thank you, say the Knicks … next?

Having played the hand(s) they’ve been dealt brilliantly, pondering why the Knicks aren’t favored is hardly metropolitan bias. Heroes on all sides have risen, from the net burners at every area of the floor to the suffocating defense that turns mere transition into a chore.

Some combine both to play the best basketball of their careers (looking at you, never looking back, OG Anunoby), which sets the tone for some of the most dominant hoops in NBA history.

Simply put, the Knicks have advanced past the need for a fully healthy Robinson (all rightful respect due) to succeed on a grand stage. Postseason trial and error will certainly prep a squad for that.

Yes, San Antonio has Wembanyama, and the Knicks would equally wise not to let local yield Julian Champagnie go off (Crappy New Year’s Eve, anyone?). But the Knicks are in a matchup where they can win a shootout while keeping their opponents’ offensive weapons in check.

The Association is Wembanyama’s to lose, and no one’s going to quarrel with that. These Knicks have proven, however, that it takes more than a face to keep pace with their net-scorching antics.

Prediction: Knicks in 6
MVP: Jalen Brunson

Thomas Montana

Eleven straight wins are hard to look past. This Knicks team has been the best statistical team in playoff history, holding the highest offensive and NET rating of any team ever.

With players like Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns changing up their approaches by working towards their strengths, it’s not crazy to say this level of dominance is sustainable.

OG Anunoby has been the best Wembanyama defender since the Alien entered the NBA; the only player with 100 or more possessions to hold him to under 20 pts/75 on less than 45% true shooting. If Anunoby struggles, New York has a 7-foot defensive specialist who looks like he was built for this matchup.

Jalen Brunson will once again be matched up with the opposing team’s best perimeter defender; this time around, it’s Stephon Castle. He’s held guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Julius Randle, and Deni Avdija to numbers way below their normal averages.

Brunson, though, has proven time and time again to be able to expose and manipulate the team’s defensive schemes. Whether it’s getting himself onto favorable matchups or brute forcing his way to the cup, the Captain always seems to get his.

If all goes according to plan, we’ll see orange-and-blue-themed parades in NYC for the first time in over 50 years.

Prediction: Knicks in 6
MVP: Jalen Brunson

Holden Gumb

They didn’t come this far to only come this far.

While I don’t think Victor Wembanyama is lying when he says, “I want to win so bad, it’s like my life depends on it,” I simply don’t believe that he and the rest of the young Spurs supporting cast can physically or emotionally want it more than the Knicks do at this point in their collective careers.

Looking at a list of San Antonio’s top 10 players in minutes per game over the course of this postseason run, it’s the first real taste of the playoffs beyond the Play-In Tournament for seven of them.

Of those seven, it’s the first experience in the playoffs, in any capacity, for five of them. Finally, among those five lies, the three most important players for the Spurs are Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper.

I’m not saying it’s beginner’s luck for San Antonio to be in this position. They’ve proved themselves as a tremendous team deserving of playing on the game’s biggest stage. They’re a worthy adversary for the Knicks.

But they can’t want it more than the team that has the second-most playoff wins in the NBA dating back to 2021, years before any of the players named above were even in the NBA, with still no ring to prove it. It’s literally not possible. They haven’t experienced enough heartbreak yet. Perhaps this will be their introduction.

Let’s set our emotions aside for a second, though. I simply think New York is the deeper, more well-equipped team of the two, and they’ve proven it in head-to-head matchups this season. Including the NBA Cup Championship, the Knicks finished 2-1 against the Spurs, with their two victories combined for a 36-point margin of victory. Their sole loss came by two points.

Prediction: Knicks in 6
MVP: Jalen Brunson

Robby Sabo

Plenty of reasons exist to pick the San Antonio Spurs, but this postseason can be summed up simply: “It was written.”

No matter the situation, no matter the game, no matter the odds … everything has broken right for the New York Knicks.

From the No. 7-seeded Philadelphia 76ers knocking off the Boston Celtics, to the Cleveland Cavaliers upsetting the Detroit Pistons — the latter of which owned the Knicks this season — New York’s dream roadmap continued when the young Spurs edged the uber-athletic Oklahoma City Thunder (who pose a far greater disadvantage for the Knicks).

It was written. Knicks in six. Let’s just hope the aliens don’t invade until after the NBA Finals conclude.

Prediction: Knicks in 6
MVP: Jalen Brunson