Hall of Famer Charles Barkley is picking the New York Knicks to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy back to New York City for the first time since 1973.
“I got the Knicks in six,” Barkley told ESPN Radio’s “Freddie and Harry” on Monday.
“I think the Knicks have been the best team in the playoffs — anybody who knows anything about basketball knows that,” he added.
Barkley also downplayed the notion that the Knicks had an easier path to the NBA Finals, while noting that they didn’t just beat the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers en route to the championship round — they decimated them.
“…You can hate on the Knicks all you want, but this has been one of the great runs in NBA history. The numbers say that,” Barkley said of the Knicks.
“They ain’t squeaking by nobody, but pounding people. I’m picking the Knicks in six.”
Knicks Primed to Win NBA Finals
Further to Barkley’s point, the Knicks’ +262 points differential is the best by any team — in the regular season or playoffs — over an 11-game span in NBA history. During this stretch, New York has shot 53.3% from the field and 41.3% from three, while holding its opponents to 99.1 points per contest — 43% from the field and 29.2% from three.
New York’s scoring run is why scores of bettors are heavily invested in Jalen Brunson and Co. to complete the mission. Although the Spurs remain the betting favorites, the Knicks have attracted nearly half of all money wagered on the NBA Finals — almost as much as every other playoff team combined, according to ESPN’s David Purdum.
Knicks Attract Big NBA Finals Bids
“Knicks are unsurprisingly very heavily bet on in New York, more so than any other state, both per game and in the futures,” Caesars Sportsbook lead NBA trader David Lieberman told ESPN on why the Knicks have attracted so many bets.
Although the Spurs enter as betting favorites, ESPN’s Ben Golliver feels the pressure is on Victor Wembanyama and Co. to slow the red-hot Knicks, not the other way around.
“The Knicks posted a blistering 123.0 offensive rating in their two regular-season games against San Antonio, and they torched the Spurs in the NBA Cup championship (which doesn’t officially count in the standings),” Golliver highlighted.
“While the Spurs ranked third in defensive efficiency during the regular season, they conceded more points per possession to the Knicks than any of their opponents.
“This Finals will be decided by San Antonio’s ability — or inability — to slow the New York juggernaut,” he added.
Game 1 of the Knicks vs Spurs NBA Finals tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
Knicks Get Stunning NBA Finals Prediction From Charles Barkley