Knicks will Face Spurs in Finals Harkoning Memories of 1999

As the late Yogi Berra once said, "it's deja vu all over again." 

That will be the case when the New York Knicks tussle with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, a rematch of sorts via the 1999 Finals. Not only was that the last time the Knicks appeared in the Finals, it was the beginning of the Spurs dynasty as a young Tim Duncan won the MVP, and the Spurs thrashed the Knicks in five games. 

That Spurs team was laden with veteran talent from Avery Johnson to Sean Elliot leading the front court. Former Bulls point guard Steve Kerr (who we all know would one day become a successful head coach in his own right), was a role player on that San Antonio team. But all the focus at the time was on David Robinson who was seeking his first NBA title after a storied decades long career.  

Duncan, who at the time was in his second year in the NBA was the future star and face of the franchise back in '99.  

 Little did we know back then it was the first of five championships, and the beginning of a Hall of Fame career for Duncan and his head coach Greg Popovich. 

The Knicks back in '99 were just an upstart eighth seed that beat the odds to get to the Finals. Yes, Michael Jordan had retired for the second time, and the Chicago Bulls were no longer a threat in the East. But New York still had to get through the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers just to get to the Finals. And they did so with plenty of guile and guts along the way. 

 

That NBA Finals wasn't even close. The Spurs were way better than the Knicks back then. Games 1 and 2 were blowouts in favor of San Antonio as the Spurts turned the old Alomo Dome into a house of horrors for New York. While the Knicks rebounded in Game 3 back at MSG, San Antonio came back with a convincing win in Game 4 at the Garden, and would close it out, albiet by one point, 78-77 in Game 5. 

This time around figures to be different. 

For starters the Knicks might be getting San Antonio at the right time. While the '99 Spurs were laden with veteran talent, the 2026 version is much younger. The oldest player on the 2026 Spurs starting five is 28-years old in De'Aaron Fox. 

But make no mistake this is not a team to be taken lightly. Led by 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs finished with the second best record in the NBA this year behind the Oklahoma City Thunder. The same OKC team they disposed of in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. 

Wembanyama is a match-up nightmare for the Knicks. He can box out easily with his size, swat balls from getting to the hoop like Godzilla swatting away fighter jets, and can even drain three pointers like it's going out of style. 

He is like a modern day version of Wilt Chamberlain and Tim Duncan rolled into one. While Duncan was a big dude at 6-foot-11 during his playing days, he was more of a brute force inside the paint. A perfect answer at the time to someone like Saquille O'Neil. Wembanyama is taller and more slender than Duncan, but the prospects are he could become just as successful one day. 

As for the rest of the team, the Knicks have to be very careful here. Do not under estimate the supporting cast. 

While Popovich is no longer coaching the team, and is now retired, he built this roster by targeting players from some of the best college programs in the nation.  Stephon Castle a 6-foot-5 point guard hails from UCONN. That's the same UCONN that won two national titles not that long ago. And Julian Champagine comes from St. John's. While he didn't play for Rick Pitinio, he was at the Queens school when the program was slowly starting to regain momentum. 

The Spurs are good, they are deep, young and scary. 

If anything their Achilles heel might be their inexperience. If the Knicks can maintain discipline on the boards, and trust me when I say San Antonio is going to try its darnedest to get the Knicks in foul trouble, they have the shooters to sour any hopes for the Spurs down the stretch of games. 

This will not only be a key series for Knicks star Jalen Brunson to shine on the grandest stage, but he needs help. He needs his fellow Villanova teammates, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart to shoot the lights out when they get their hands on the ball. He will also need OG Anunoby to continue as the match-up nightmare he has been for Knicks' opponents all postseason.  

Karl Anthony Towns, who I think will be the focus of the Spurs attack inside, must maintain discipline, and find ways to get catch fire. It's unknown what impact if any Mitchell Robinson will have based on his pinky surgery. If it's limited, a lot will fall on Towns inside the paint.  

These two teams met three times during the regular season with New York winning two of three. One of those victories came in the NBA Cup in December. This is a different animal now. 

If the Knicks win the Finals, they are will have to grind this one out; the Spurs won't shrivel like the Sixers and Cavs did in the previous two series. Buckle up folks.