Roundtable Roundup Podcast: The Knicks Finals Matchup is Set

The New York Knicks are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, and the opponent waiting for them feels almost scripted.

San Antonio ended their title hopes 27 years ago, and the Spurs are standing in the way once more with another generational big man leading the charge.

This time, though, New York has every reason to believe the story ends differently.

The Knicks went 53-29 in the regular season, finishing third in the Eastern Conference under first-year head coach Mike Brown.

San Antonio won the Southwest Division at 62-20 and built one of the best home records in the league at 32-8.

The two teams split their regular season series 1-1, with the Spurs pulling out a 134-132 thriller on New Year's Eve and the Knicks firing back with a 114-89 rout at Madison Square Garden on March 1.

New York also beat San Antonio in the NBA Cup Final back in December, so this matchup has been brewing for a while now.

The Knicks' biggest weapon heading into this series is the sheer force of their playoff run.

They have won 11 straight postseason games after sweeping both the 76ers and the Cavaliers, beating opponents by an average of 23.8 points along the way.

Jalen Brunson has been the engine behind all of it, averaging 26.0 points and 6.8 assists per game during the regular season while ramping up to 27.8 points a night in the postseason.

He was named Eastern Conference Finals MVP and enters as the betting favorite for Finals MVP.

New York shot 37.3 percent from three during the regular season and pushed that number closer to 40 percent in the playoffs.

Their ability to space the floor and create open looks from deep could test a Spurs defense that focuses on rim protection over chasing shooters.

The Knicks also come in with fresh legs after sweeping the ECF, while San Antonio had to grind through seven games against Oklahoma City.

For all the momentum New York carries, there is no ignoring what waits in San Antonio.

Victor Wembanyama won Defensive Player of the Year and anchored a unit that blocked 5.5 shots per game, compared to just 3.9 for the Knicks.

Karl-Anthony Towns was solid all year at 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds per game during the regular season, but Wembanyama's 7-foot-2 length creates the sort of matchup problem Towns has not faced yet in these playoffs.

San Antonio also outrebounded New York slightly during the regular season, 47.0 to 45.6, and the Knicks' 22-19 road record is a far cry from their play at home.

Games 1 and 2 tip off at the Frost Bank Center, where the Spurs dropped just eight games all year.

None of that is fazing this group, though.

Brunson and the Knicks carry a confidence that hasn't existed in this franchise for decades, and with Madison Square Garden set for Games 3 and 4, there is no reason to count them out.