The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs renew their 1999 Finals rivalry when the series opens Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, a pairing that will produce the eighth different champion in eight seasons. The matchup has drawn comparisons to 1999: both franchise histories and several coincidental details from that season have resurfaced as the teams prepare for Game 1.
Offense and pace have changed markedly since the lockout-shortened 1999 Finals, when the average game finished Spurs 85, Knicks 80 and the two teams combined for 6.4 three-pointers per game. By contrast, the modern Spurs have a shooter like Julian Champagnie, who hit 11 three-pointers in San Antonio’s Game 7 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, underscoring how the league’s shot profile has evolved.
Personal links to 1999 also thread through the series: Rick Brunson, father of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, played in that Finals and now serves as a Knicks assistant. Jaren Jackson Sr. also played in 1999; his son has completed his eighth NBA season. Mike Brown was not yet on the Spurs’ staff in 1999, and several current coaches were long off the professional track at that time.
According to ESPN, the Spurs finished the regular season 62-20 with a plus-8.4 net rating while the Knicks were 53-29 with a plus-6.4 mark. The teams rank first and second in playoff net rating and occupy top spots on both ends of the floor in the postseason. New York enters on an 11-game winning streak, while San Antonio reached the Finals by knocking off the defending champions in a Game 7 on the road.
The Spurs were the better regular-season team but the Knicks went 2-1 head-to-head, one of those wins coming in the NBA Cup (a 124-113 game that did not count in standings). In the scheduled meetings San Antonio won 134-132 on New Year’s Eve — powered by Champagnie’s 36 points and 11 threes — and New York answered with a 114-89 rout in March, the Spurs’ largest loss and one of only two defeats for them between Feb. 1 and April 3. Injuries figure into projections: Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson missed the Spurs’ win, and Robinson enters the Finals dealing with a broken right pinkie. The central question remains: how will the Knicks defend 22-year-old Victor Wembanyama?
