The New York Knicks' 2026 NBA Championship run, for the most part, played out like a dream. It likely felt like one, too, for fans who waited as many as 53 years to see their team win four consecutive playoff series.
When the Knicks drew the San Antonio Spurs as their 2026 NBA Finals opponent, fans were quick — and somewhat right — to worry about just how impactful 7-foot-5 superstar Victor Wembanyama could be in just the third year of his career.
The big man was a menace throughout the entirety of the Spurs' playoff run. He thoroughly outplayed Chet Holmgren in San Antonio's dethroning of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Spurs can only go up from historic NBA Finals collapse vs. Knicks
Wembanyama and his Spurs had the talent to beat the Knicks. They were able to secure at least a 10-point lead in every game of the NBA Finals. But they clearly didn't have enough experience to meet the biggest moments. The Knicks put them through a historic dose of the kind of pain necessary to learn the importance of every possession in a postseason setting.
Wembanyama's turnover off the back of Stephon Castle at the end of Game 2 gave the Knicks a 2-0 series lead heading back to Madison Square Garden. De'Aaron Fox's decision to drive and shoot at the end of Game 4 allowed New York to complete their NBA Finals-record 29-point comeback.
Losing in the NBA Finals is never going to feel great. Losing like that, specifically, should feel even worse.
Luckily for the Spurs, though, Wembanyama is just 22 years old. He just signed an extension — a stepped-down maximum contract that affords San Antonio a bit of flexibility — and will be in town for the long haul. Castle is 21 years old. Dylan Harper is just 20.
The Spurs showed throughout the Finals that they certainly have room to grow. They also have the time to make those improvements. Wembanyama won't be shrinking in height any time soon, either.
As they begin to figure things out and look like more of a veteran squad, which offseason additions Tobias Harris and Billy Donovan will help, the gap between San Antonio and an NBA title is only going to shrink. That'll make the Knicks taking them down in just five games look even better as time goes on.
The Knicks beat the Spurs on Christmas in 2024. They beat them in Las Vegas to take the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup. And they beat them in the 2026 NBA Finals to end a 53-year title drought, too. Wemby and his group don't have nearly as long of a drought to end on their side of things. But they have the kind of star players, and now experience, that contenders need to stand out.
Even though the trip was ultimately unsuccessful, they did just make it to the NBA Finals. It's on them to make sure that they don't go down as one-hit wonders. They should be able to get it done. And as those Spurs make history of their own, it'll make the Knicks' historic championship run even more memorable in hindsight.
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