The NBA Finals tip off on Wednesday night in San Antonio. The Spurs are looking to get a jumpstart on what could be a future dynasty led by Victor Wembanyama. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks are looking to win the franchise its first title in 53 years.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Spurs are favored to win the series at -185, while the Knicks are +155 to lift the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
Knicks vs. Spurs Series Preview
This is an incredibly exciting series. These two teams are almost funhouse mirror versions of each other. Not only are the team’s respective superstars over a foot apart, but both rosters have some fascinating parallels and differences. Jalen Brunson has established himself as one of the great clutch players and team leaders in the sport of basketball. His comeback run against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals cemented him in that place in the game, where he probably already belonged. Brunson was always criticized for being too small and not being able to create his own shot. He has defied those labels and become one of the best shot creators in the sport.
On the other side, there is Victor Wembanyama. While Brunson had to work incredibly hard to become an NBA player, Victor Wembanyama was built in a lab to be an NBA superstar. He is 7’4, with the athleticism, ball-handling, and outside shooting ability of someone much smaller than him. Wembanyama seemed destined to succeed in the NBA, but he is hitting this level of success this quickly because of his mentality. It has been incredibly refreshing to see the passion that Wembanyama has shown on this playoff run. In a world, and especially a league, where being nonchalant is in vogue, Wembanyama has no problem expressing how badly he wants to win and what this means to him.
New York Knicks Preview
The Knicks have a group of players around Brunson who are all still looking to prove themselves in this league. Karl-Anthony Towns is an incredible talent, but he has spent his entire career being criticized for the things he does wrong. Josh Hart is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, and the Knicks’ trade for Mikal Bridges was mocked for being a terrible deal for New York. Only OG Anunoby has won an NBA title before among this group of starters. That experience will be invaluable, and Anunoby will be a major X-factor as one of the main defenders on Victor Wembanyama in this series.
San Antonio Spurs Preview
For the Spurs, youth is the name of the game. While the Knicks have a group of experienced players trying to finally break through and win a championship, the Spurs have a group of young players who don’t know any better. They are led by Wembanyama, but Carter Bryant, Dylan Harper and Stepon Castle are all 20 or 21 years old. Even players like Julian Champagnie and Devin Vassell are 24 and 25 years old, respectively. This group might not know how to win the big one, but they also don’t know how to lose either. They are a team with no scars, with no fear of what this series could bring.
Knicks vs. Spurs Series- Over 5.5 Total Games
My first pick is for the series to go over the total of 5.5 games. These teams are very evenly matched. Their first regular-season meeting was a thriller in San Antonio, with the Spurs winning 134-132. The Knicks dominated the Spurs at home in the second meeting by a score of 114-89. These teams also met in the NBA Cup Championship, where the Knicks defeated the Spurs 124-113. New York has handled Victor Wembanyama well in the previous meetings, but the level he is at coming into these Finals is on another level than when they faced him earlier this season.
The Knicks have bodies to throw at Wembanyama like Towns, Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson. However, the Spurs also have bodies like Castle, Vassell, and Wembanyama himself. The role players should be the difference in this series. Whichever team has those unsuspecting heroes rise should be the one that wins the series. Either way, this series should go to at least six games, and nobody would be shocked if it went to seven.
NBA Finals Total Overtime Games- One (+300)
My other favorite bet on the series is for there to be at least one overtime game. In the conference finals, both of these teams went to overtime in Game 1. This also plays into how close these two teams are. Also, having players like Brunson and Wembanyama who can exchange buckets down the stretch and refuse to lose makes overtime a more viable possibility. It seems destined for these two great teams to need an extra period at some point in the series.
NBA Finals Scoring Leader- Jalen Brunson (+135)
Jalen Brunson is the third-leading scorer in the NBA so far this postseason. He is averaging 26.9 points per game, behind only Cade Cunningham and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. That is despite the fact that over the last two series, Brunson has had a chance to sit on the bench in a handful of fourth quarters because of his team’s dominance. Victor Wembanyama has been a great scorer in this postseason as well, but he is averaging a couple of buckets fewer than Brunson per game.
It is a clear two-horse race between the 6’2 point guard and the 7’4 center for this honor. Players like Towns, Castle and Anunoby are bound to have big games, but over the course of the series, Wembanyama and Brunson should emerge atop the list. It seems like a true coin flip as to who the leading scorer is, which makes Brunson the better bet at +135. He has proven that he can get his points in so many ways. Whether it’s shooting from deep, getting to the line or creating his own shot, Brunson will find a way to score, just like SGA did against the Spurs in the previous series.
