Twenty-Seven Years. Same Two Teams. New Monster in the Paint.
The last time the Knicks played in the Finals, Bill Clinton was president, Y2K was the biggest threat to civilization, and Tim Duncan was 23 years old. Twenty-seven years later, the opponent is the same. The building is different. And the 7-foot-4 problem at the rim is several inches taller.
Victor Wembanyama arrives at his first Finals averaging 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks in these playoffs on 48.1% shooting — including 40% from three. He dethroned the defending champion Thunder in a seven-game Western Conference Finals, dropping 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime Game 1. The Knicks counter with Jalen Brunson, who hasn't lost a playoff game since April — New York swept both the 76ers and Cavaliers on the way here, winning 11 straight.
The structural question for this series is paint access. The Knicks lead all playoff teams in points in the paint at 53.3 per game, attacking the rim at 68.1% on their paint shots. But against the Spurs this regular season, only 39.9% of their shots came in the paint — their lowest against any team — dropping to 38.5% when Wembanyama was on the floor. Something has to give. Either Brunson figures out how to manufacture mid-range volume he doesn't typically need, or Karl-Anthony Towns spaces the floor enough to pull Wemby away from the basket. The Spurs' pace (100.7, 12th in NBA) versus the Knicks' grind (97.5, 25th) is the other fault line.