2026 NBA Season

[Oasisman]

Poll Question: 2026 Champion?
Knicks - 9 (56.3%)
Cavs   - 0 (0%)
Thunder - 3 (18.8%)
Spurs - 4 (25%)

Total Voters: 16

Let's see if majority know the champion.

Poll updated for finals now.

2 votes for now, 50-50. With the Knicks stealing game 1 on the road, it could increase their odds and votes here of becoming the 2026 champions. They literally stole that game as they were down 14 at some point and were able to come back strong. That could only mean one thing: their extended rest really helped them to be well prepared against the Spurs.

The Knicks should play harder in Game 2, as the Spurs are known to be resilient. They might still have a hangover from the Thunders in game 1.

Air Corgi is already wrong with the game 1 prediction, lol.

[Webetcoins]

Wemby seems quite healthy, that is the luck Spurs have. He had issues last year as you all remember, and him coming back was a risk, and he missed a lot this year too, one of the reasons why he was not in MVP contention because even when he came back, he was limited playing minutes.

This was a problem and Spurs feared that he would not be 100% at playoffs, and his injury may return and prevent him playing full minutes or even maybe not at all. If he can survive the finals, then they are going to win.

[mandown]

San Antonio started well, then New York took the lead. The first half was evenly matched, but at the beginning of the third quarter, San Antonio was leading by 13 points. However, when Wembenyama came off the bench, New York capitalized on the opportunity and narrowed the gap. The game was evenly matched again by the end of the third quarter. The final period was incredibly exciting, but Brunson, with his unique style, scored crucial baskets that played a major role in New York's victory in the first game.

Rookie Harper is attracting a lot of attention for San Antonio. Champagnie made some very impressive three-pointers at the beginning of the game. We're watching a final that's reminiscent of the 1999 final.

[ILuckyGuyI]

Really good stats by Jalen Brunson last night...



I can't overlook Josh Hart's performance also of course. He fought really hard as always! A good way of start for Knicks but will they keep it up in Game 2 also though?

That's the question... I don't expect Spurs to lose that one too at home honestly. Wemby played with a low percentage in Game 1 but I think he'll improve more in the next one.

[livingfree]

Spurs in 5 is still possible for them to win all of the games.

Knicks got the first one.

I think there is only a 1% chance that it will happen.
You see how strong the Knicks are going to the NBA Finals, they swept the Cavaliers who are a decent team, so they should not be underestimated here.
I would even think it is more possible to be Knicks in 5, TBH.

I am not underestimating them. The fact that they reached the NBA finals and swept Cavs, it shows how truly strong they are.

I think that everyone is going to fist bump about SGA. He's the flop star and we don't like him while he's got his title already but his tactic didn't go well this conference finals.

The reason why NBA does not want them to be in the finals again.

we will have an entertaining NBA finals. game 1 was already fun.

It will be fun if that's them.

But before that happens, we don't want to see them in the finals. Good thing that the Spurs eliminated them.

[Fredomago]

Really good stats by Jalen Brunson last night...



I can't overlook Josh Hart's performance also of course. He fought really hard as always! A good way of start for Knicks but will they keep it up in Game 2 also though?

That's the question... I don't expect Spurs to lose that one too at home honestly. Wemby played with a low percentage in Game 1 but I think he'll improve more in the next one.

Indeed, Hart's performance provided so much help for the Knicks though it was the last quarter show for Brunson giving all the lift that he can provide for his team, I like that combination as they really blend well, with their brotherhood they managed to comeback and snatch that game 1 from the home team, let see what adjustment Spurs will do to protect their crowd to even the series, they need to reassess what happened and try to work on it to avoid making same mistake and win the game.

[MK-74]

The New York Knicks won the first game of the NBA Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs lost the first game at home 105–95 and fell behind 1–0 in the series.
The Spurs absolutely need to win the second game at home because they will play the third game in New York and will have lost their home-court advantage.

[CLS63]

We are going to continue with Game 2 tomorrow. Knicks are trying to put an end to their long run without a championship. It must be like 53 years if I'm not wrong.

They need Brunson at this level at worst and of course they need to keep defending like this. Wemby scored 20+ points maybe but he wasn't great with his accuracy mostly. That was also a big help for Knicks.

[arwin100]

We are going to continue with Game 2 tomorrow. Knicks are trying to put an end to their long run without a championship. It must be like 53 years if I'm not wrong.

They need Brunson at this level at worst and of course they need to keep defending like this. Wemby scored 20+ points maybe but he wasn't great with his accuracy mostly. That was also a big help for Knicks.

What I know they experience 53 long years drought no championship.

And this is their 2 recorded championships gotten in history of their franchise https://www.nba.com/news/new-york-knicks-nba-championships

That is so long drought and if Knicks manage to win against Spurs this will be a huge history in their franchise.

If Brunson can sustain that level then their chance to win is high, also they need their defensive players step up and stop Wemby to dominate in the floor.

[stadus]

I can't overlook Josh Hart's performance also of course. He fought really hard as always! A good way of start for Knicks but will they keep it up in Game 2 also though?

That's the question... I don't expect Spurs to lose that one too at home honestly. Wemby played with a low percentage in Game 1 but I think he'll improve more in the next one.

He is the X factor of the team, and I think he will keep producing those numbers as long as he stays healthy.

I even saw a post of a bettor who placed a bet on Hart to win Finals MVP with odds of x700, and that is looking good now despite Brunson still having the best stats in Game 1.
But if the Spurs focus their defense on Brunson, which I’m sure they will, and the Knicks still keep winning, then I think Hart has a real shot.

[jeremypwr]

Ripped up my OKC to win it all ticket; did not see them losing to the Spurs.
For this Finals, Spurs were -4.5 in game 1 and now are -5.5 in game 2; bookies seem to think they bounce back.

[Cointxz]

Ripped up my OKC to win it all ticket; did not see them losing to the Spurs.
For this Finals, Spurs were -4.5 in game 1 and now are -5.5 in game 2; bookies seem to think they bounce back.

My Spurs will surely bounce back on game 2. They proved it already against OKC series even with referee call handicap against them. Fatigue might still be a factor on game 1 but I’m sure coach Johnson will adjust their strategy on game 2 to even the series.

Bookie knew how good the Spurs when it comes to adjustments after the loss based on their overall performance last series.

[tech30338]

Ripped up my OKC to win it all ticket; did not see them losing to the Spurs.
For this Finals, Spurs were -4.5 in game 1 and now are -5.5 in game 2; bookies seem to think they bounce back.

My Spurs will surely bounce back on game 2. They proved it already against OKC series even with referee call handicap against them. Fatigue might still be a factor on game 1 but I’m sure coach Johnson will adjust their strategy on game 2 to even the series.

Bookie knew how good the Spurs when it comes to adjustments after the loss based on their overall performance last series.

They will surely adjust in game 2, they are surprise with what happen, in game one, with barrage of good shots from jalen in the second half of the game, wemby heroics are not that much, he now knew what he needs to do to be able to come back in the series, but they should be careful with the knicks attacks in the basket they will not stop making points so they should be very careful doing so, the coaches will also make game plans and it will be a chess match for them lets see what will go down in this game 2.

[el kaka22]

There is a possibility that this will not end as easily as I first imagined it would . I mean let's give Knicks credit where credit is due, they are at the finals, which means they are a decent team. But at the same time, before the game I thought Knicks would be destroyed and Spurs were a much much better team.

But looking at them right now, the first game was won by Knicks, so I guess that I was wrong, and Knicks still has a chance to win. I did not think that it would be a sweep by the Spurs, but I did think it would be over by like 5 games and if it went to sixth game I would be surprised. But looking at this first game, I would say even seven game series would not be shocking and could happen by the looks of it.

[fullfitlarry]

Ripped up my OKC to win it all ticket; did not see them losing to the Spurs.
For this Finals, Spurs were -4.5 in game 1 and now are -5.5 in game 2; bookies seem to think they bounce back.

My Spurs will surely bounce back on game 2. They proved it already against OKC series even with referee call handicap against them. Fatigue might still be a factor on game 1 but I’m sure coach Johnson will adjust their strategy on game 2 to even the series.

Bookie knew how good the Spurs when it comes to adjustments after the loss based on their overall performance last series.

Yes, I don't think it's a trap, they know that Spurs can bounce back as they are still going to play in their homecourt.

So I guess that is a good bet already and there are adjustments to be made so that they make it 1-1. Probably yes, not just physical, but the very hard fought 7 games series might have drain everything from them while Knicks is well rested.

[LogitechMouse]

Really good stats by Jalen Brunson last night...
---
I can't overlook Josh Hart's performance also of course. He fought really hard as always! A good way of start for Knicks but will they keep it up in Game 2 also though?

That's the question... I don't expect Spurs to lose that one too at home honestly. Wemby played with a low percentage in Game 1 but I think he'll improve more in the next one.

Like what Wemby said in an interview, he doesn't worried in the slightest at all. That's 100% confidence coming from a generational player like him. He's been in the league for a few years only, but he's becoming like how Kobe thinks. Always hungry to win, and that's the kind of mindset the NBA needs to have right now.

As for the Knicks, let's not discredit their other players outside of Brunson. Hart's 15 rebounds and 4 steals is game-changing. KAT's 10 points in the 3rd quarter helped them tie the game after being down 14. Anunoby and Bridges might not be that noisy, but bottom-line is this, they forced Wemby to shot 6/21 from the field, and they let him shoot 9 3-pt area which shows that Wemby is somehow afraid to drive inside the paint and that's because of the Knicks' defenders.

I don't expect the Spurs to lose in Game 2 as well, and it's a must-win also for them. If they'll lose, I'm afraid they'll be the next team to get swept after Sixers and Cavaliers. We can't deny the fact that it can also happen to them especially they're inexperienced as well.

[Cointxz]

Ripped up my OKC to win it all ticket; did not see them losing to the Spurs.
For this Finals, Spurs were -4.5 in game 1 and now are -5.5 in game 2; bookies seem to think they bounce back.

My Spurs will surely bounce back on game 2. They proved it already against OKC series even with referee call handicap against them. Fatigue might still be a factor on game 1 but I’m sure coach Johnson will adjust their strategy on game 2 to even the series.

Bookie knew how good the Spurs when it comes to adjustments after the loss based on their overall performance last series.

Yes, I don't think it's a trap, they know that Spurs can bounce back as they are still going to play in their homecourt.

So I guess that is a good bet already and there are adjustments to be made so that they make it 1-1. Probably yes, not just physical, but the very hard fought 7 games series might have drain everything from them while Knicks is well rested.

Also, a -5.5 is a good margin since Spurs usually have a huge lead once they already made the fine adjustments to their previous mistakes. Home court advantage is always a big factor on a crucial match like this one.

Having a 2-0 lead for the Knicks will be a crucial disadvantage for the Spurs in case they allowed this to happened on their home court.

I wonder if they can still copy beating Knicks on home court twice if Knicks manage a 2-0 lead.

[danherbias07]

There is a possibility that this will not end as easily as I first imagined it would . I mean let's give Knicks credit where credit is due, they are at the finals, which means they are a decent team. But at the same time, before the game I thought Knicks would be destroyed and Spurs were a much much better team.

But looking at them right now, the first game was won by Knicks, so I guess that I was wrong, and Knicks still has a chance to win. I did not think that it would be a sweep by the Spurs, but I did think it would be over by like 5 games and if it went to sixth game I would be surprised. But looking at this first game, I would say even seven game series would not be shocking and could happen by the looks of it.

I think many of us got it wrong. The trend was, "Whichever wins the West Finals will be the champion." So, I bet many gamblers lost their bet rooting for the Spurs. I was one. 

Unfortunately, the New York Knicks were heavily underestimated, and I think Richard Jefferson made it clear during the East Finals that the Knicks' performance against the Cavaliers was truly amazing, and they have a great shot to be champions if they keep that up and stay healthy. He was right.
KAT stepping up his game was the key for the Knicks to win. The Spurs have Wemby, but KAT's unpredictable offensive moves were amazing. He was locked in.

I am curious about the adjustments of the Spurs. Will they focus their defense on KAT, or will it be Brunson? This is going to be a tough situation for them and will make the game more interesting. I think Barnes did a great job guarding Brunson. They should look at that.

[rohang]

Just looked at odds for game 1 and spurs are even bigger favorites then game 1

Well they did have a big lead of 14 points in third quarter but still lost, i think the superb rebounding by josh hart and KAT was the big big factor as they got 15 and 12 rebounds resp, even when fighting against wemby for it. Totally unexpected

Brunson is a big game player but i do think spurs should win game 2 atleast,however in NY i think they get blown away by 10+ and brunson does his thing even more

The total is set at 214 which is more than what i would have expected. Gut feeling was saying over but this line seems high to me, was expecting around 210

[coinrifft]

I am curious about the adjustments of the Spurs. Will they focus their defense on KAT, or will it be Brunson? This is going to be a tough situation for them and will make the game more interesting. I think Barnes did a great job guarding Brunson. They should look at that.

It will still be Brunson, he is the one that really gave the Spurs a head ache. And I thought that they could really do a good job on Brunson. But I was totally wrong as Jalen's experience was too much for the young guards that they put on him.

Maybe they will really need to get the ball out of hands of Jalen specially if the game was this close again. As for KAT, it can be offset by Wemby, but they still need more on him, just like what he did on the series against the Thunder.