The 2026 NBA Finals matchup is set as the San Antonio Spurs will battle the New York Knicks in the championship series.
The Spurs, led by superstar center Victor Wembanyama, punched their ticket to the NBA Finals with a Western Conference Finals victory over the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games. Jalen Brunson and the Knicks secured the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 with an Eastern Conference Finals sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The No. 2 seed Spurs are considered the favorite over the No. 3 seed Knicks, but NBA analyst Charles Barkley believes New York is primed to secure its first NBA title since 1973.
“I’ve got the Knicks in 6,” Barkley said on the “Freddie and Harry” show.
“I think the Knicks have been the best team in the playoffs. Anybody who knows anything about basketball knows the Knicks have been the best team,” Barkley explained. “The Knicks ain’t been squeaking by nobody. They’ve been kicking [expletive] and taking names.”
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The Knicks enter the NBA Finals on an 11-game win streak, notching back-to-back series sweeps over the 76ers and Cavaliers. The team’s last loss took place in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Spurs had a more difficult path to the NBA Finals, but it is hard to argue with the Knicks’ dominance to this point in the playoffs.
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Game 1 of the NBA Finals will tipoff at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
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