2026 NBA Finals

The 2026 NBA Finals is the upcoming championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s 2025–26 season and conclusion to the season's playoffs. The best-of-seven series will be played between the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks and the Western Conference champion (Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs). The series is scheduled to begin on June 3, with a possible Game 7 scheduled for June 19.

The jerseys of both teams will feature a USA 250 patch in recognition of the United States Semiquincentennial.

Jalen Brunson led the Knicks to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999.

Under the first season with head coach Mike Brown, the New York Knicks finished with a 53–29 record, their highest win total since 2012–13. Their regular season was highlighted by a 124–113 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup Final in Las Vegas. In the third year of the competition, they were the first team to win the NBA Cup and make the Finals. They were led by All-Star and Second Team All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, who averaged 26 points per game (PPG) and 6.8 assists per game (APG) in 74 games played. Joining him as an All-Star was center Karl-Anthony Towns in his second season in New York, as he averaged a double-double with 20.1 PPG and 11.9 rebounds per game (RPG) in 75 games. Rounding out the starting five was forward OG Anunoby, and Brunson's Villanova teammates from college, guard Josh Hart and forward Mikal Bridges. Under Brown, the Knicks utilized their bench more than under former coach Tom Thibodeau, which featured Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson (the longest tenured Knick), Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, and midseason trade acquisition, Jose Alvarado.

Although the Knicks finished with an impressive record and a third-seed, they did not peak as a team until the playoffs. In the First Round, the Knicks defeated the Atlanta Hawks in six games, winning the final three games after being down 2–1. They then swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. They entered the Finals winners of their last 11 games. Their plus-271 point differential across 14 playoff games is the highest scoring margin by any team entering the Finals in NBA history. Noted for the Knicks playoff surge was the team's effort to play through center Karl-Anthony Towns midway through the Hawks series, as the team had been previously too reliant on Brunson for offense.

Since their last Finals appearance in 1999, the Knicks experienced 27 years of frustration and misfortune. They did not post a winning record from 2001–2010, and had a 8–18 playoff record from 2011–2022, including missing seven consecutive playoffs from 2014–2020. However, since signing Brunson in free agency in 2022, they have made the playoffs every season, winning 50-plus games three straight years for the first time since the Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley led teams in the 1990s. Overall, this is New York's ninth Finals appearance. No Knick player has played in the NBA Finals; Mike Brown lost his only Finals appearance in 2007 as head coach for the Cavaliers against the Spurs, but has won multiple championships as an assistant. The Knicks are trying to end a 53-year championship drought, currently the fifth longest in the NBA.

Notes

• z – Clinched home court advantage for the entire playoffs
• c – Clinched home court advantage for the conference playoffs
• y – Clinched division title
• x – Clinched playoff spot
• pi – Clinched play-in tournament spot
• * – Division leader

The NBA announced the Finals schedule on January 20, 2026. The league rearranged the series so it avoids going up against the 2026 FIFA World Cup night game between the United States and Paraguay on June 12. No Sunday game was scheduled for the first time since 1970 (therefore meaning that all games will tip off at 8:30 pm ET vs 8 pm ET on Sundays). Game 5 would be played on a Saturday night for the first time since 2021.

Note: Times are EDT (UTC−4) as listed by NBA. Potential games are marked by asterisk (*) if necessary.

The Finals will be televised in the United States by ABC (including local affiliate WABC-TV in New York City) for the 24th consecutive year. It will called by the team of play-by-play announcer Mike Breen (himself the Knicks' lead television announcer on MSG Network), analysts Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler, and sideline reporter Lisa Salters. Legler replaced Doris Burke on the network's lead announcing team this season.

• 2026 NBA Finals official website