Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant-Getty The New York Knicks are one win away from history. After taking a commanding 3-1 lead over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, New York enters Game 5 with a chance to do what no Knicks team has done since 1973: bring a championship back to Madison Square Garden. For a franchise that has spent decades chasing ghosts, enduring several season tanks and patiently waiting for the right group to finally break through, this team now stands on th

Sportz Nation - 6/9/2026 Photo: James Bernard-Getty The NBA Finals are officially here. Legacies are about to get stamped, and some of the league's brightest stars are ready to either make history or fold underneath the brightest lights. With the Knicks and Spurs giving us a Finals matchup that has everyone talking, it only feels right to look back at the players who owned this stage before them. Since 2000, we’ve seen everything. Stars carrying franchises on their backs. Und

by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Photo Credits to Nathaniel Butler via Getty Images Knicks The Knicks haven’t been to the NBA Finals since 1999, so they want to maximize this opportunity. They showed some weakness against the Hawks in the first round, but since then, New York has been on a historic tear, looking like one of the strongest Eastern Conference squads we’ve seen in recent memory while riding an 11-0 win streak and sweeping through two straight rounds. The Spurs may e

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/26/2026 Photo Credits to Sue Ogrocki via Associated Press Playoff Run After 27 long years for New York basketball fans, the Knicks are in the NBA Finals again. After last night's Game 4 in the Eastern Conference Championship finished off their sweep of the Cavaliers, the Knicks are not only heading to the Finals but look poised to win it too. With a date set against either the Thunder or Spurs, who are in the midst of a generational series, th

Photo: Sarah Stier-Getty The Western Conference Finals are heating up. After four games, the Thunder and Spurs are deadlocked at 2-2, and now the series shifts back to Oklahoma City for a Game 5 that could change everything. For OKC, home court has been a fortress all season long. The Thunder have only suffered one home loss in the playoffs so far, and interestingly enough, that loss came at the hands of these very Spurs in a double-overtime thriller. In other words, San Anto

Photo: Lucas Boland-ImagnImages The playoffs are halfway through, and it's getting intense. As we know, every championship team needs star power, but even the greatest superstars can't do it alone. Behind every deep playoff run are the players who defend the toughest matchups, crash the glass, move the ball, take charges, and keep possessions alive when the game gets ugly. These aren't the names that light up the box score, but their impact is undeniable. The best role player

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/19/2026 Photo by Ken Blaze via Imagn Images Overview Different from the Western Conference Finals, the final Series out of the East won't feature either of it's Top 2 seeds. The Knicks come into the series as the 3-seed and winners of their last 7 games in a row. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are entering their first ECF without Lebron since 1992 and have already been through 2 grueling, 7-game series this postseason. The series will start tonight

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/18/2026 Photo by Daniel Dunn via Imagn Images 1Thunder vs 2Spurs (Thunder -250) Overview Before the NBA Playoffs even started, we all looked at this hypothetical matchup as the "Real Finals Series" and it's not hypothetical anymore. Ready to start tonight at 8:30 ET, this series will pit the bet two regular season teams and players this season. Shai may have won his 2nd MVP award this season but Wembanyama was arguably just as worthy and led h

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/8/2026 Photo by Pamela Smith via Imagn images 1. A.J. Dybantsa Small Forward BYU 6'9" - 210 lbs. Archetype- Very Athletic, Mid Range Forward Anytime I grade a propsect in any sport, it comes down to two things: Upside potential and their potential floor. In my eyes, Dybantsa has the best upside potential of anyone in this class. With an elite frame of a Small Forward, great athleticism, good ball handling and a silky jump shot that could beco

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/6/2026 2Spurs vs 6Timberwolves MIN Lead 1-0 Photo by Ronald Cortes via Getty Images Series Odds: SA -205 Game 2 Odds: SA -10 The series between the Spurs and Timberwolves should be the most exciting of all 4 2nd round matchups. With two of the premier stars of the league in Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama facing off, it should also be the most watched and media covered as well. The Spurs were heavy favorites to win the series and move on

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 5/5/2026 Photo Credits to NBA via NBA.com staff When is the Draft Lottery? The NBA Draft Lottery will begin at 3:00 pm EST on Sunday, May 10th. The NBA Playoffs will be in full swing as Game 4 between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers will start just 30 minutes after Lottery coverage starts. With the NBA Draft's First Round set to start on June 23rd, the Lottery begins NBA Draft season. The Lottery will also be a prelude to the NBA Draf

by Sportz Nation - 5/4/2026 2026 Review The Celtics miraculous 2026 season has come to an end with a Game 7 loss to the 76ers after initially leading the series 3-2. To start the season being predicted to miss the playoffs, then become the #2 seed in the East and Favorite to win the Eastern Conference Finals, all before getting heartbroken in the First Round has been a roller coaster of a year for Boston. And yet, there is still a lot of hope for this team. Photo by Matt Ston

by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 4/24/2026 Photo Credit: Nico Martinez/FW The Western Conference is full of icons. From dynasties in Los Angeles and Golden State to individual legends who put smaller markets on the map, the West is loaded with names that shaped the game. In terms of impact, who affected the game, and the way fans remember a team, the West have the East beat. So after breaking down every Eastern Conference team’s Mount Rushmore, we’re shifting ove

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 4/24/2026 Photo Credit: Marcus Ship/AP It's no secret that when a player steps to the podium early on draft night, lofty expectations are guaranteed. Teams are investing millions of dollar into a kid that just might take their franchise to the promised land, putting hope, pressure, and expectation that one name can change everything. Over the years, the draft has produced stars, superstars and Hall of Famers that reshaped the league. But for ever

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 4/21/2026 Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran/TBG Boston did exactly what they needed to do in Game 1, overwhelming Philadelphia 123-91 and grabbing an early 1-0 series lead. But nobody in Boston should sleep on this matchup or expect things to stay simple. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid in the opener, and while the Celtics took full advantage, this series could take on a completely different shape if Embiid comes back. A healthy or even limit

by Zak Drapeau and Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 4/19/2026 Graphic by Comet Sports via cometonline.com Every franchise has its icons, and legacy in the NBA is a brutal conversation. Great stats are nice. All-Star appearances help. But Mount Rushmore status? That’s different. That’s reserved for the players who literally became the franchise—the ones who switched up the culture, won over cities, made themselves impossible to erase from team history, and actually compelled you boo

by Zak Drapeau Sportz Nation - 4/16/2026 After last night's play-in game, we now know that the Celtics will start the 2026 NBA Playoffs in a 7 game series against the 76ers, starting Sunday afternoon from TD Garden. Photo by Winslow Townson/ Imagn Images Celtics Roster The Celtics 56-35 record this season was good enough for the 2nd seed in the East and the team is the clear favorite to make it to the NBA Finals. The team has actually been 15-5 since the return of star forwa