“One team is new to this, the Spurs, and one team isn’t. … You don’t necessarily want the champs. … Right now, I think the Knicks would want the Spurs.”
—@RealMikeWilbon on who the Knicks should want to play in the NBA Finals 🏀
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. As the city is still processing that, the conversation has already shifted to who they would rather face when the series tips off.
ESPN’s First Take show had its opinion on exactly that. Analyst Mike Wilbon is sharing his take on whether the Knicks should prefer the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs as their Finals opponent.
GettyESPN Analyst Reveals Who the Knicks Should Want in the NBA Finals
Wilbon did not dance around it. The Thunder are the defending champions, and that alone changes how you think about them as an opponent.
“One team is new to this, the Spurs, and one team isn’t. … You don’t necessarily want the champs. … Right now, I think the Knicks would want the Spurs.”
The wear-and-tear angle is where his argument really picked up. Both teams have been pushing each other to the limit, and with the series tied, the physical toll is already showing.
“One team is new to this, the Spurs, and one team isn’t. … You don’t necessarily want the champs. … Right now, I think the Knicks would want the Spurs.”
—@RealMikeWilbon on who the Knicks should want to play in the NBA Finals 🏀
“Oklahoma City and San Antonio are going to Ali-Frazier each other to death. And somebody’s going to need like a vacation and not be ready physically and emotionally to move on to the next round.”
GettyMike Wilbon Reveals Who the Knicks Should Want in the NBA Finals
Even if Oklahoma City wins, Wilbon thinks the real question is what kind of shape they will be in when they get to New York.
“I wonder about that, even if Oklahoma City wins this series, and I do expect them to win in game seven, what are they going to have for the Knicks in game one or games one and two before the series then moves to New York with the Knicks having at least split on the road.”
And he was careful not to paint San Antonio as a pushover either. The Spurs are young, healthy, and according to Wilbon, only going to get better.
“San Antonio is nobody’s pushover. Somebody better, you better win now because the Spurs are coming to get you for a long time with the health of that core. But right now, I think the Knicks would want the Spurs.”
The Knicks won the series against Cleveland in a clean sweep, earning their ticket to the Finals. They are currently enjoying an 11-game winning streak and have had a lot of time to rest.
The team that wins in the West will have the advantage of playing at home.
The door is open for New York. The question now is, will they be cheering quietly for the Spurs to win?
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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