The NBA put the San Antonio Spurs’ turnaround in historic context before Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals against the New York Knicks.
In a June 2 post on X, the league highlighted that San Antonio went from back-to-back 22-win seasons to the NBA Finals two years later. The NBA noted that the 2025-26 Spurs are just the fourth team to reach the Finals within two years of losing 60-plus games, joining the 2020-21 Phoenix Suns, 1998-99 Spurs and 1966-67 Warriors.
The timing matters because San Antonio is no longer just a good rebuild story. The Spurs are four wins from the sixth championship in franchise history, and their Finals run officially begins against New York on Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The matchup also brings the NBA Finals back to a familiar pairing. The Knicks and Spurs last met on this stage in 1999, when San Antonio won the first championship in franchise history.
From 22 wins in back-to-back seasons to the NBA Finals two years later!
The 2025-26 Spurs are just the 4th team to reach the Finals within two years of losing 60+ games, joining the 2020-21 Suns, 1998-99 Spurs, and 1966-67 Warriors.
Spurs-Knicks Game 1 Tips Off Wednesday Night on ABC
Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. ABC has exclusive coverage of the 2026 NBA Finals.
The Spurs have home-court advantage to open the series. That gives San Antonio the first two games at Frost Bank Center before the series shifts to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4.
The full NBA Finals schedule:
Game 1: Wednesday, June 3 — Knicks at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 2: Friday, June 5 — Knicks at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 3: Monday, June 8 — Spurs at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 4: Wednesday, June 10 — Spurs at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 5: Saturday, June 13 — Knicks at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC, if necessary
Game 6: Tuesday, June 16 — Spurs at Knicks, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC, if necessary
Game 7: Friday, June 19 — Knicks at Spurs, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC, if necessary
For San Antonio, the league’s post underscores how fast the franchise’s expectations have changed.
The Spurs won 22 games in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, then improved to 34 wins in 2024-25 before jumping to 62 wins in 2025-26, per the NBA graphic shared on X. That kind of leap is rare enough in the regular season. Turning it into a Finals trip is what pushed the achievement into historic company.
San Antonio’s Turnaround Is Now a Championship Story
This is not just a “young team ahead of schedule” angle anymore.
The Spurs are back in the Finals for the first time since 2014, while the Knicks are making their first Finals appearance since 1999. Reuters reported that the Western Conference Finals between San Antonio and Oklahoma City became the most-watched conference finals in 24 years, with Game 7 drawing an average of 15.9 million viewers after the Spurs beat the Thunder 111-103.
That adds another layer to Game 1. San Antonio’s rise has become one of the league’s biggest national stories, with Victor Wembanyama at the center of it and the Knicks bringing their own long-awaited Finals return.
The Spurs’ turnaround also gives the series a different kind of pressure. San Antonio is not entering the Finals as a plucky team simply happy to be there. A 62-win season, home-court advantage and a league spotlight on the franchise’s history all raise the stakes.
The NBA’s own framing makes that clear. The Spurs have already completed one of the fastest climbs from the bottom of the standings to the Finals. Starting Wednesday night, the question becomes whether they can finish it with a championship.
NBA Announces San Antonio Spurs History Before Game 1 vs. New York Knicks in Finals