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San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

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Key matchups to watch in Spurs-Knicks NBA Finals

By Jarrod Prosser | Last updated Jun 3, 2026 12:06 AM ET

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For the eighth year running, the NBA will crown a new king. Let’s break down the matchups that may decide if the New York Knicks can break a half-century curse or the San Antonio Spurs start another possible dynasty.

When the Spurs have the ball

Can Julian Champagnie exploit Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns?

When the Knicks and Spurs last met, the Spurs were starting the fossilized remains of Harrison Barnes at forward, giving New York an obvious hiding place for Jalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Towns. Since moving Julian Champagnie into Barnes’ starting spot on a full-time basis, the Spurs are a different beast.

Champagnie is an excellent shooter (38.1% on the season), which requires his man to either stick to him or at worst close out hard on kickouts. Where Champagnie might trouble both defenders is his superior ability to attack closeouts and get on the offensive glass.

The upgrade in ball handling and rim finishing from Barnes to Champagnie is exponential, and that’s before we consider Barnes’ depreciating athleticism, which leaves the relatively immobile Towns vulnerable. At 6-foot-7, Champagnie outsizes Brunson (an extremely generous 6-foot-2), which could lead to an extra rebound or two per game, more than enough to swing a close contest.

Can OG Anunoby slow down Victor Wembanyama?

While Alex Caruso provided a glimpse of a plan on how to stop Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs eventually countered by sending their big man to the cup and threw him a series of lobs. Caruso, though, is 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds. By contrast, Anunoby is 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds — clearly a different proposition.

Anunoby might be the best wing in the NBA at pushing big men away from the paint, making them catch outside of their preferred zones. That will force the Spurs star into turnaround jumpers — hardly his bread-and-butter — or putting the ball on the floor, which is a poor option against Anunoby’s defense.

Since Wemby was drafted, there are 20 players who have defended him for at least 100 half-court matchups. The player who he has tallied the fewest player points per 100 matchups against as his primary assignment is ... O.G. Anunoby.
— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) May 20, 2026

But, for every answer, there is a question: Where to place Towns? No matter who he guards, Towns will be at a speed disadvantage. Do the Knicks decide to test the outside shot of Stephon Castle or Dylan Harper, knowing that Towns can match them at the rim?

When the Knicks have the ball

Can Mitchell Robinson sew seeds of doubt in Victor Wembanyama?

Teams commonly attempt to draw Wembanyama away from the paint by playing five shooters, though the obvious side effect of that is that it leaves the team undersized at the other end, where Wemby dominates at the rim. The Knicks, however, are uniquely situated to disrupt Wembanyama at both ends of the floor, through Mitchell Robinson, who is plans to play through his finger injury.

Wemby will clearly be able to patrol the paint with the rangeless Robinson as his mark, but Robinson's only two offensive skills — crashing the glass and catching lobs — are tailormade to exploit a shot-blocker. If Wemby begins to chase shots, he opens up the opportunity for alley-oops and easy putbacks. And if Robinson is effective on offense, it allows him to stay in the game to wrestle Wemby at the other end of the floor.

Will Stephon Castle’s physicality against Jalen Brunson prove a blessing or a curse?

Stephon Castle has established himself through these playoffs where, despite his turnover issues, he has begun to fulfill his star potential at both ends of the floor. His speed, tenacity and physicality has been noted by Brunson himself, who told reporters on Tuesday that "He’s great, I think his intensity and tenacity is special."

Castle has only guarded Brunson for seven minutes across the teams' two meetings this season. Interestingly, Brunson is 0-of-4 from the floor in those minutes, per StatMuse.

Expect Castle to get physical with Brunson the length of the court, looking to wear him down physically and mentally, blunting the late-game heroics of the Knicks' four^th-quarter superstar.

Brunson, though, is as clever as they come. Once he gets used to the Castle matchup, expect him to use all of his herky-jerky dribbles, feints and up-fakes to get Castle off balance and into foul trouble, effectively turning Castle’s physicality against him.

Jarrod Prosser

Jarrod is a basketball lifer and has the knees to prove it. A former player, coach, trainer, scout and administrator, Jarrod has extensive and intimate knowledge of everything that happens on the hardwood. He has covered the NBA since 2018 for publications in the USA and his native Australia

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