Spurs-Thunder, Cavaliers-Knicks predictions: Which teams will meet in the NBA Finals?

We’ve reached the NBA’s final four. Spurs-Thunder in the West, Cavs-Knicks in the East. Which teams will meet in the NBA Finals? Our writers make their conference finals predictions.

Spurs or Thunder: Who ya got?

Tom Haberstroh: Spurs in 6. The Thunder finally get an opportunity to prove that Victor Wembanyama isn’t their nemesis. Good luck. With Wemby on the floor this season, the Spurs have dominated OKC to the tune of plus-50 in 126 minutes. When we isolate it to SGA/Wemby minutes only, the Spurs still outscored the Thunder by 20 in 64 minutes. No one has a good answer for Wemby, not even the champs.

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Ben Rohrbach: Thunder in 7. They have been rolling, sweeping their first two series, and they haven’t even weaponized Jalen Williams yet. Give me their championship experience from last season over a Spurs group that counts a 22-year-old (Wembanyama), a 21-year-old (Stephon Castle) and a 20-year-old (Dylan Harper) as their three foundational players. And, because, if San Antonio emerges, what hope does the rest of the league have for the foreseeable future?

Kelly Iko: Spurs in 7. The Wall of Wemby leaves no stone unturned, even against the champs. OKC has converted 76.2% of its shots at the rim, 39.2% of corner 3s and 37.9% on above-the-break 3s since the playoffs began. With Wembanyama on the floor, that efficiency drops to 61.6% (worse than the 30th-ranked Chicago Bulls!), 36.6% and 33.6% (bottom-five rate for regular season). In other words, Wembanyama’s mere presence turns the Thunder from champs into chumps. Strap in.

Dan Titus: Thunder in 6. I’m backing the reigning champs. They’re 8-0 with a +16.6 average margin of victory. They have the MVP and are at full strength for the first time in a long time. I expect they’ll lean on their defensive pressure to fuel their transition offense, which is where they can somewhat neutralize Wemby. The coaching staff will throw multiple looks at him, and we’ve seen the Spurs be careless with the ball throughout the postseason. San Antonio went 4-0 in the regular season against OKC, but the playoffs are an entirely different…

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Author : Yahoo Sports Staff

Publish date : 2026-05-18 16:29:00

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