Big market, small market, same NBA Finals stage: How the Knicks and Spurs got here so differently

NEW YORK (AP) — Getting to the NBA Finals proves that the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs have made plenty of smart moves along the way.

You need a star, like a Jalen Brunson or a Victor Wembanyama. They need some help. They need the right coach.

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But this finals matchup, which starts Wednesday in San Antonio, also shows that there’s no one way to get all those things done. Of the 10 players that the Spurs are most likely to have in the regular rotation for this series, six were drafted by San Antonio. Of the 10 most likely to appear for the Knicks, only one was drafted by New York.

It’s Biggest Market vs. Smaller Market. Shopping vs. Drafting. Knicks vs. Spurs isn’t just a clash for the NBA title, it’s a clash in styles as well — with Knicks President Leon Rose seeming to constantly tinker until finding the right mix, and the Spurs building through the draft instead.

“I’ve said it before, I’ll keep saying it: Leon and his staff have done a freaking fantastic, fantastic job,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

Whether it was LeBron James, Kevin Durant or some other megastar, there was always hope that someone would eventually come save the Knicks — who are in the finals for the first time since 1999. They missed the playoffs 16 times in the 27 seasons that followed, including a nine-year stretch (and it wasn’t that long ago) where they failed to win a single playoff series. Whatever the approach was, it wasn’t working.

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Constructing a championship contender takes good luck — the Spurs know that part well, with a slew of good lottery fortunes including the one that landed them Wembanyama in 2023 — but also good leadership. It takes bold decisions, such as committing more than $100 million to a former second-round pick in Brunson who had largely been a backup in Dallas, or trading a whopping five first-round picks to land Mikal Bridges, who has never even been an All-Star but has become an integral part of this Knicks run.

“It took a long time for us to get here,” Spurs forward Keldon Johnson said. “It took a village.”

The Knicks can say the same. They just took a…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/big-market-small-market-same-190731337.html

Author : BRIAN MAHONEY and TIM REYNOLDS

Publish date : 2026-06-01 19:07:00

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