Knicks vs Spurs: The narratives defining an NBA Finals showdown

What is shaping up to be the most exciting NBA finals in years, the historically most starved big-market team, the New York Knicks, face the favoured, historically luckiest small-market team, the San-Antonio Spurs. A rematch of the 1999 finals and the in-season cup final, where the Knicks dominated the 4^th quarter to win over the Spurs, who look to take revenge for the premium prize.

There is a reason the Spurs have been considered favourites going into the finals: they have been the stronger side across the regular season (granting home-court advantage), with a more athletic team all built around the first unanimous defensive player of the year. It was only a year ago that the Spurs had 28 fewer wins in the regular season, missing the playoffs, so for them to stake their claim as the premier team, when it was meant to be the Thunder’s time, would be terrifying for the rest of the league. The 7-foot-4-inch “alien” Victor Wembyama, at only 22 years old, driven by his focus on glory, hopes to join the elite company of Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard to win the finals MVP before 23, but with far less help, undisputably the best player on his team. The opportunity to make history is bountiful for the Spurs.

Since trailing 2-0 to Atlanta, the Knicks haven’t lost a playoff game

The Knicks are hoping to end the 54-year-long championship drought in the ‘Mecca of Basketball’ and disprove many of the narratives that questioned their talents. It wasn’t long ago, in fact, as recent as their first tie round against the Atlanta Hawks, whereby they initially trailed 2-0, that the media doubted their ability against top opposition. Since then, they haven’t lost a playoff game, often dramatically coming back from losing positions.

Many eyes are on the Spurs’ exceptionally young core, with an average age of 25-years-old, which would make them the second-youngest team to reach the finals. While this may be promising for future Spurs’ dynasty aspirations, the Knicks are here to win now, with their two stars, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns (‘KAT’), aged 29. Their experience might edge them over the Spurs, especially behind the fanatical Knicks home crowd, unmatched by any team in the league. Uncontrollable momentum and experience often clinch championships in data-defying fashion.

The narrative importance of the finals makes this one of the most intriguing matchups in years

The defining matchup to look out for is between KAT versus Wembyama. Unlike the other centres Wembyama has faced, KAT is a uniquely comfortable shooter, and although slightly shorter, is physically much more capable than the Frenchman. This benefits the Knicks’ game plan on both sides of the court: offensively, KAT’s exterior shooting gravity pulls Wembyama out of the paint, creating easier shots for his teammates, and defensively, Wembyama won’t be comfortable with the physicality KAT will assert. Although realistically, there is only so much KAT can do to suppress Wembyama’s ominous defensive presence, making the minutes he’s off the court crucial for the Knicks to gain a commanding lead.

The unpredictability and narrative importance of the finals make this one of the most intriguing matchups in years.

*Since this article was written, the Knicks have taken a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals series.