NBA Finals preview: Knicks-Spurs rematch nearly 30 years in the making

It’s been said that history often has a way of repeating itself.

Nearly three decades after they last met in the finals and just six months since NBA Cup glory was on the line, the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks plan to put that theory to the test.

The Spurs will be hoping to replicate the only other time these two teams met in the playoffs, way back in 1999. San Antonio won that matchup in five games, led by a rapidly ascending 22-year-old who helped overcome a New York team desperate to break through after years of playoff shortcomings, running into whichever Eastern Conference powerhouse was peaking at the time (e.g., Michael Jordan’s Bulls, Reggie Miller’s Pacers).

On the other hand, the Knicks will try to repeat more recent history. Going back to December, when they took down Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs to capture an NBA Cup title — hoping it would lay the groundwork for a long-awaited return to the finals, as it ultimately did.

One way or another, history will indeed repeat itself. It’s now just a matter of how far back we’ll have to look. In the meantime, here’s everything you need to know heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday.

(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (3) New York Knicks

Season series: Tied 1-1** Knicks beat Spurs in NBA Cup Final, but it did not count toward regular-season standings

Series schedule (all times in ET):Game 1: New York at San Antonio, Wednesday, June 3, 8:30 p.m.Game 2: New York at San Antonio, Friday, June 5, 8:30 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)Game 3: San Antonio at New York, Monday, June 8, 8:30 p.m.Game 4: San Antonio at New York, Wednesday, June 10, 8:30 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)*Game 5: New York at San Antonio, Saturday, June 13, 8:30 p.m.*Game 6: San Antonio at New York, Tuesday, June 16, 8:30 p.m. (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+)*Game 7: New York at San Antonio, Friday, June 19, 8:30 p.m.* if necessary

San Antonio was progressively tested at each stage of the playoffs, first making quick work of the scrappy Portland Trail Blazers (4-1), then outlasting the grizzled Minnesota Timberwolves (4-2), and finally knocking off the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder in their own barn (4-3).

Third on offence and second on defence through the playoffs, the Alamo City squad is coming off a seven-game series that saw Wembanyama’s all-world impact act as a rising tide, often keeping his teammates afloat long enough for them to come through with key performances like on Saturday, when the French phenom had a relatively modest game compared to his usually lofty standards.

It hasn’t been a recipe for consistent dominance, with more ebbs and flows than the Knicks, for instance, but it’s led them this far.

New York took an inverse route compared to San Antonio, with each passing series turning out to be less of a challenge. First, the Knicks overcame an early 2-1 deficit to eliminate the upstart Atlanta Hawks (4-2), then swept a pair of tired-and-old-looking opponents in the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers.

But that’s not to say the path of lesser resistance should undermine what the Knicks accomplished en route, especially considering how superior they’ve been.

They’re just the fifth team in NBA history to go on an 11-game win streak in the playoffs — of the four other teams to do so, three ended up winning it all (2017 Warriors, 1999 Spurs and 2001 Lakers) while the other also made it to the Finals and lost (1989 Lakers).

And the Knicks haven’t just been winning, they’ve been dominating. New York boasts a league-best plus-19.3 average margin of victory in the post-season, and is plus-262 over that lengthy win streak — the highest point differential over any 11-game span in NBA history (regular-season or playoffs), per NBA.com.

But it goes without saying that the two-seed Spurs will immediately be the stiffest competition the Knicks have faced all playoffs, putting that excellence to the ultimate stress test.

Spurs: Containing Jalen Brunson the same way as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

On face value, a two-time MVP averaging 25.9 points, 8.9 assists and 1.9 steals in the Conference Finals is nothing to scoff at. But consider that he also averaged 3.1 turnovers and a 54.6 per cent true shooting mark, it’s clear that nothing came easy for Gilgeous-Alexander. He even admitted as much, telling reporters on Sunday that “it’s no secret (San Antonio) had success guarding me.”

The Spurs very much controlled the terms of engagement, throwing multiple bodies at Gilgeous-Alexander, forcing the OKC star to facilitate more often than attack — daring the Thunder role players to make a difference. And by funnelling the ball away from SGA (and towards Wembanyama), San Antonio was able to attack the gaps and generate enough chaos that it became the first team since 1974 to total 150 steals and 130 blocks through the first three playoff rounds. They enter the finals with the third-most total turnovers forced in the post-season (249).

Will Mitch Johnson deploy that same strategy against Brunson, who, fresh off winning Eastern Conference Finals MVP, presents many of the same challenges Gilgeous-Alexander did? A shifty guard who is most comfortable between the paint and three-point line and often plays the game at his own pace.

On the other hand, the Knicks have a much hotter-shooting supporting cast around Brunson, who can take better advantage of such coverages (in theory). New York enters the finals sporting an NBA-best 40 per cent conversion rate from distance, with wings and a dynamic big man, who won’t shy away from letting it fly.

It is a make-or-miss league, after all.

When Mike Brown replaced Tom Thibodeau as head coach in New York, among his tasks was figuring out how to maximize the pairing of Brunson and Towns. The “your turn, my turn” offence and collective turnstile defence were not cutting it.

Hence, it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that the Knicks have gotten this far in the same season Towns has seemingly figured out how to be a 1B next to Brunson. Some of his raw boxscore numbers have dipped notably, averaging a playoff career-low 16.9 points, but the 30-year-old has made the most of that trade-off by racking up post-season-highs of 5.9 assists (more than double his previous high), 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks and a stellar 71.3 per cent true shooting mark.

There’s been much more to his game outside of simply looking to score the ball, and the engagement level defensively has been far beyond that of the past. And it’s clear the Knicks will need all of that and then some against Wemby, who enters the matchup as the youngest leading scorer on a finals team in nearly 70 years.

Towns will need to challenge the Spurs star on both sides of the ball. With so much attention on stopping Brunson, he’ll be relied upon offensively more than he has been through any of the previous series. And on defence, while the Knicks have a plethora of stout options to throw at Wembanyama — including OG Anunoby, who spent plenty of time doing it in the regular season (and found more success than most) — the Frenchman’s most frequent matchup against New York was ultimately Towns, who might be one of the only seven-footers nimble enough to keep up.

It’s not often that a rookie plays a prominent role for a playoff team (only three first-year players averaged 20-plus minutes this post-season), let alone one that’s Finals-bound. This is a testament to the No. 2 overall pick’s adaptability on both ends of the floor, adjusting admirably to a lesser role with a stacked backcourt in San Antonio following a ball-dominant role with Rutgers.

And despite Harper’s usage dropping even further in the playoffs, he’s become a hyper-opportunist. The rookie has been efficient with his scoring chances, boasting a 62.7 per cent true shooting mark, a meaningful rebounder (among the best at his position, per CleaningTheGlass), and a versatile defender. Making it easy to understand why he’s second on the Spurs in playoff net rating among key rotation players, behind only Wembanyama.

He’s been the ultimate glue player. Bridging lineups, plugging gaps and even acting as an emotional stabilizer, despite being the youngest member of the team. Johnson has routinely turned to the rookie in times of need, like whenever Castle has faced foul trouble and needed defensive relief, or when Julian Champagnie hasn’t had it going offensively and the Spurs have required a spark.

By no means should a first-year guard be expected to turn the tides of the NBA Finals, but Harper may do it anyway.

If there were ever a Hall of Fame for do-it-all role players, Hart would be on track for a first-ballot selection.

Few players embody the unheralded “other guy” quality that makes for a true X-factor quite like he does, and the Knicks continue to be a beneficiary of it. Like in the Conference Finals, when he averaged 14.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals on 34.6 per cent shooting from beyond the arc.

Hart’s offensive production could be a major swing factor in the series, because there’s a chance Wembanyama spends time “guarding” the Knicks swingman, so the reigning Defensive Player of the Year can sag off, roam around and wreak havoc elsewhere.

And speaking of Caruso, his physical, in-your-shorts style of defence is the same blueprint Hart will have to follow on the odd occasion he’s forced to slow down Wembanyama. It didn’t happen all that often in the regular season, but it’s no secret that smaller, scrappier and physical players have been able to stymie the Spurs star from time to time.

So, while the Knicks have plenty of role players who could make a difference in the NBA Finals, arguably none have the potential to accomplish more on both ends than Hart.