San Antonio Spurs and Knicks Meet This Wednesday in the NBA Finals
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – With the NBA Finals set between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, the U.S. basketball league will crown its eighth different champion in the last eight seasons this year. The Spurs dethroned the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and will face the Knicks, who have not reached the championship series since 1999. No franchise has achieved back-to-back titles in the NBA since the Golden State Warriors did so in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Since then, seven different franchises have claimed the title in the following seven years. The Toronto Raptors won in 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, the Golden State Warriors in 2022, the Denver Nuggets in 2023, the Boston Celtics in 2024, and the OKC Thunder in 2025. Reaching the NBA Finals indicates that the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs have made many smart decisions along the way. A star player, such as Jalen Brunson or Victor Wembanyama, is necessary, but they also need support and the right coach. These Finals, starting this Wednesday in San Antonio, also show that there is no single way to achieve success. Of the 10 players the Spurs could have in their rotation for this series, six were drafted by San Antonio. Of the 10 who could appear for the Knicks, only one was selected by New York. It’s the Big Market versus the Small Market. Buying versus drafting. Knicks vs. Spurs is not just a clash for the NBA title; it’s also a clash of styles: with Knicks president Leon Rose constantly adjusting to find the right mix, while the Spurs build through recruitment. 'I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: Leon and his staff have done a damn fantastic job,' said Knicks coach Mike Brown. Whether it was LeBron James, Kevin Durant, or another superstar, there was always hope that someone would eventually save the Knicks — who are in the Finals for the first time since 1999. They missed the playoffs 16 times in the 27 seasons that followed, including a nine-year stretch where they failed to win a single postseason series. Whatever the approach, it wasn’t working. Building a championship contender requires good luck. The Spurs know this well, having had a series of fortunate lottery hits, including the one that allowed them to draft Wembanyama in 2023, but also good leadership. It requires bold decisions, such as committing over $100 million to Brunson, a second-round pick who was a bench player with Dallas, or trading a massive five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges, who hasn’t even been an All-Star but has become an integral piece. 'It took us a long time to get here. It took a whole community,' acknowledged Keldon Johnson, a forward for the Spurs. The Knicks can say the same, only they took a different route. Rose was hired in March 2020. His arrival came almost at the end of a typically turbulent season in New York, when coach David Fizdale was fired early in the campaign, before the team decided to move on from its president, Steve Mills. One of Rose's first moves was to hire the coach who would set the standard and culture of the organization: Tom Thibodeau. Although he won, it was evidently not enough. So the Knicks turned to Brown this season, another example of constant adjustments. The Spurs, on the other hand, embrace continuity. They haven’t searched for a coach in over three decades; Gregg Popovich appointed himself head coach in 1996, and when he suffered a stroke in November 2024, Mitch Johnson temporarily replaced him before securing the full-time position last spring. 'This team has been pretty damn consistent for a long time,' Johnson noted. Not so for the Knicks, who became the laughingstock of the league. Hall of Famers like Isiah Thomas and Phil Jackson were handed the keys to the franchise, only to crash it. Jeff Hornacek lost over 100 games in two seasons, and Derek Fisher (96) and Fizdale (83) would have done the same had they been able to finish their second seasons. Free agents like Joakim Noah failed. High draft picks (Frank Ntilikina, Jordan Hill, Kevin Knox) turned out disappointing, and even when the Knicks got something right, like selecting Kristaps Porzingis, they were so dysfunctional that he wanted to leave. They had the worst record in the league at 17-65 in 2018-19, fielding lineups that included players like Emmanuel Mudiay, Lance Thomas, Noah Vonleh, Damyean Dotson, and Allonzo Trier. The summer before Rose's arrival, they stumbled in free agency. Durant and Kyrie Irving not only said no but went to Brooklyn together, and suddenly it seemed the Knicks weren't even the most important team in the Big Apple. It was reminiscent of 2010 when the Knicks positioned themselves to sign two stars, only to see James and Chris Bosh join Dwyane Wade in Miami. The Knicks wanted to be the team that faced the Heat in big playoff showdowns back then. Instead, they watched the Spurs play against that Heat twice in the NBA Finals. That era for the Spurs ended — Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili retired — and the rebuilding began. The lottery gifted them Wembanyama, who made everything possible. But many other moves, though not as flashy, were shrewd. The Knicks attempted other flashy moves, like in the summer of 2019 when they acquired Julius Randle in free agency and RJ Barrett with the third overall pick in the draft. Over time, that transformed into other moves; Barrett and Immanuel Quickley were traded to Toronto in 2023 for OG Anunoby, and Randle was part of the package that brought Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota to New York in a major trade on the eve of the 2024-25 season. Along the way, Josh Hart was acquired in a 2023 trade. For Anunoby, who had been playing in the same division, it was clear that the Knicks were building something. Anunoby said, 'Definitely progress,' adding, 'improving every year.' And here are the Knicks and the Spurs. In the Finals. Different paths, but with the same goal.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
