The NBA Finals matchup is officially set. And storylines abound.The long-suffering New York Knicks, seeking their first title since 1973, versus the fast-maturing San Antonio Spurs, who look poised to launch yet another dynasty in South Texas.The close-knit ‘Nova Knicks, captained by Jalen Brunson, versus the league’s future (and present?) in Victor Wembanyama.The NBA’s largest media market versus its fifth-smallest. A rematch of the 1999 finals.Here is everything you need to know, including predictions from our writers and our best reads heading into the series.What you need to know about the matchupNo. 2 San Antonio Spurs (62-20) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (53-29) Knicks’ path: Beat No. 6 Atlanta, 4-2; beat No. 7 Philadelphia, 4-0; beat No. 4 Cleveland, 4-0
Spurs’ path: Beat No. 7 Portland, 4-1; beat No. 6 Minnesota, 4-2; beat No. 1 Oklahoma City, 4-3Staff predictionsWe asked The Athletic NBA writers to make the call on the series result and MVP.NBA champion: Knicks in 6 (10 out of 26 votes)
Runners-up: Spurs in 7 (5 votes), Spurs in 6 (5), Knicks in 7 (3)Finals MVP: Jalen Brunson (12 out of 25 votes)
Runners-up: Victor Wembanyama (11), Karl-Anthony Towns (3)Odds: Despite an 11-game win streak and covering the spread in 10 of their last 11 games, the New York Knicks are heading into the NBA Finals as underdogs.DraftKings sportsbook opened the San Antonio Spurs as -225 favorites, or implied odds of 69 percent, to win it all. The Knicks are +185 to win. Which means if you bet $100 on New York to win the title, and it did, you would win $185.New York is also currently a 4.5-point underdog in Game 1.The Knicks are in the NBA Finals because …James L. Edwards III, Knicks writer: New York has found a synergy in these playoffs that was consistently absent the last two regular seasons.The shot-making and ball movement has been superb. The defense is on a string, and everyone is committed. Offensively, New York leads all playoff teams in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and assists. Defensively, the Knicks have the best rating of any playoff teams at 103.5.Everything is clicking for New York at the right time.Being in the Eastern Conference helps, too. The Knicks played two fringe playoff teams in the first two rounds and then a Cavaliers team that played 14 playoff games before reaching the conference finals. That’s not New York’s fault, though. The Knicks can only play who is in front of them — and they’ve dominated every challenger dating to Game 4 of the first round.The Spurs are in the NBA Finals because …Jared Weiss, Spurs writer: They gained true playoff experience battling the Thunder and had just enough talent to buy the time to figure it out.Half of it was Wembanyama finding the mentality to just combat the Thunder’s physicality and adjustments to own his space. Then there were the guards finding their way through the tangled web of Thunder defenders while figuring out at the other end how to not fall into the foul trap Shai Gilgeous-Alexander laid for them.If the Knicks win the title, it will be because …Edwards: The superb defense seen throughout these playoffs is able to stifle a young, streaky-shooting team that just had a bloodbath series in the Western Conference finals. The Spurs will make the Knicks offense look normal, which hasn’t been the case all postseason. However, the Knicks have the ability to do the same on the other end while still manufacturing enough points.If the Spurs win the title, it will be because …Weiss: Wembanyama became a downhill force on offense, and the Knicks’ wing size didn’t overwhelm San Antonio’s dribble penetration. The Knicks present similar problems to the Thunder in a different form, but they have more defensive vulnerabilities. Can the Spurs exploit them? Probably.If the Knicks lose this series, it will be because …Edwards: The Spurs defense not only stalls the New York offense but also is able to create easy offense from the work defensively. The Spurs are beatable when they’re neutralized to a half-court game, but allowing them to get into transition and a rhythm will be hard to deal with for any team.
