Knicks rewrote history with NBA Finals, the first of many for Wemby

What a stressful weekend for anyone watching the NBA Finals. 

Once the matchup was set between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks for the NBA Championship, it was bound to be historic. 

Just look at their track history. The last time these two teams met in the finals was 1999, when the Spurs won, 4-1. San Antonio was led by Tim Duncan and David Robinson  the claim the team’s first title. 

It also was the last time the Knicks made the finals. 

Since then, the teams have had their ups and downs. The Spurs enjoyed the most of ups, with their most recent NBA title in 2014 and, of course, one of the biggest names to rock the NBA in recent years on their roster — Victor Wembanyama. He’s basically a cheat code to have on the court. But they also only got Wemby, the No. 1 draft pick in 2023, after back-to-back 22-60 seasons. 

Although the Knicks have produced more .500 seasons in recent years, they’ve been consistently mid (I’m a Detroit fan, so I understand the pain). Good enough to be competing, but not good enough to finish. 

Until now. 

For the city that never sleeps, their hearts were reignited for the first time since 1973 — the Knicks last Final win — and they finally got their revenge. New York claimed the 2026 NBA Championship 4-1 over San Antonio. 

Most of us could say we thought the Spurs had game four in the bag. Honestly if it weren’t an NBA Finals game, the Spurs’ halftime lead of 27 points — the largest in NBA history — could have been enough to just turn off the TV. They took a 3-point lead 90 seconds into the game and maintained that, translating it into double-figures and putting New York down by 29 points at one point. It seemed like a lost cause. 

San Antonio put up 76 first-half points but only 30 after halftime, while Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby absolutely lit up Madison Square Garden. And their finishing play? Absolute madness. 

Anunoby’s ability to read that Brunson’s three wouldn’t fall and react by leaping over the trio of black jerseys in front of him for the tip-in to seal the 107-106 win was remarkable. It is going to go down in history as one of the greatest for Knicks fans, but for the Spurs it’ll feel like waking up from a bad dream. 

From there, the series was over. Confidence is key, and after blowing that lead, the Spurs didn’t have any. Although they came out hot in Game Five, the words, “When is the Knicks comeback going to start?” were flashing across the screen. 

We know how it played out. Brunson once again rocked the court and helped carry New York to the title and earned the well-accomplished MVP title. 

Probably the biggest question from the final two games is this: How did the Spurs walk away with a monumental choke and the Knicks on top of the world? Most likely experience. 

AGE DIFFERENTIAL

Experience. The word that earns jobs, teaches life lessons and for the Knicks — earned them a championship. 

Yes, Wemby is the talk of the NBA. He basically has been ever since he came here from France. He came into the NBA basically born to play basketball at 7-foot-4 and even as a rookie he led the Spurs in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. 

Wemby’s only 22 years old and just played for a NBA Championship, joining LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as one of the three players 22 or younger to lead a team to the NBA Finals. He’s going to go down in history as one of the greatest and losing the finals this year is going to become his villain origin story. 

We are watching one of the future greats develop. We just watched him lose his first finals. Wemby is the player Generation Z is growing up watching, and honestly, it’s going to be amazing to have that ability. I didn’t get to watch James or the other greats in their prime and their growth trajectory, and feel blessed to be able to see someone who already is so important to the NBA become even better.

But he’s only 22, and look at the makeup of the Spurs. The average age of its most used players by minutes is 25. Even rookie and 20-year-old Dylan Harper just scored a team-high of 25 points in Game Five, becoming the first rookie to have multiple Finals games of at least 20 points since 1993. 

The squad clearly is talented. It’s what led them to the Finals in the first place. But going up against the Knicks’ starting five players with eight or more years of NBA experience isn’t for the feint of heart. Plus, the Knicks built the team from scratch and through the hands of its Finals MVP Brunson, and the steady rebuild has been worth it. 

Brunson came to them in 2022. Three years later, he helped the Knicks earn their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years and now their Championship title. He has absolutely found his rhythm. 

He just scored 45 points in the Game Five victory — nearly half of the Knicks’ points. His ability to stay composed — for the most part — was remarkable. Not many people can continue to believe in themselves after being down by double digits in games four and five, but his hunger exceeded the fears. 

It captures exactly what champions are made of. Someone can have all the talent in the world, but their ability to work under pressure, pull through in the last-second shots, is how history is made.