
After sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks will get over a week off to rest. And while eight days of recovery will be great for OG Anunoby's hamstring, it will leave plenty of fans counting down the days to the next time the Knicks take the court.
While the Thunder and Spurs are still battling it out in the Western Conference Finals (and Knicks fans will be hoping that series goes long and takes a toll on the eventual winner), most of the details for the Knicks' upcoming NBA Finals schedule are already official. We know the date and start time for every game, as well as the general breakdown of home and road games.
The NBA Finals broadcast schedule is more consistent than previous rounds', with every single game set to tip at 8:30 p.m. ET and broadcasting on ABC. Spacing between games varies through the series, with one day off between Games 1 and 2 and between Games 3 and 4, with every other gap being two days off.
Regardless of their NBA Finals opponent, the Knicks will be the road team. Home-court advantage is determined by the best regular season record, leaving the 53-29 Knicks at a disadvantage compared to either the 64-18 Thunder or 62-20 Spurs.
This means that the Knicks will be at home for Game 3, Game 4 and a potential Game 6, while the Western Conference representative will host Games 1 and 2 as well as Game 5 and Game 7 if needed.
Each of the last four NBA Champions has had home-court advantage, with the 2021 Milwaukee Bucks being the last two teams to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy without it.
For as much time as we'll have to dive into the specifics of the two hypothetical NBA Finals matchups, it's fairly clear that the Spurs would make for a more favorable matchup than the Thunder.
The Thunder are the defending champs. They are the top seed in the Western Conference. Their +11.2 Net Rating blew away the Spurs' second-ranked mark of +8.3 in the regular season. FanDuel Sportsbook has them as +100 favorites to win the championship even though they haven't even made the finals yet, while the Knicks are +220.
There are even hypothetical odds out for the Knicks' Game 1 matchup against either opponent. Both would be road games, and FanDuel Sportsbook has the Thunder favored by 6.5 over the Knicks, while the Spurs would be favored by just 4.5.
The trend Knicks fans have been feeling all through the postseason seems ready to continue — this team won't get the credit it deserves for these dominating performances unless it wins the NBA Championship. The Spurs would give the Knicks the easier path, but neither matchup would be a mismatch.
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