The New York Knicks are going back to the NBA Finals for the first time in 27 years. The Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals 4-0 and have lost just 2 games in the playoffs. 

New York now awaits the winner of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks are currently on a 10-game winning streak in the postseason and have yet to show any signs of slowing down. 

While neither the Thunder nor the Spurs will be pushovers in the Finals, the Knicks likely have a preference as to who they would rather play in June. 

The Thunder and the Spurs have had a back-and-forth series up to this point, and both teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Both teams have elite defense, elite shooting, and a player who can take control of the game with the ball in his hands when needed. 

The only difference between the two teams is experience, and the Thunder don't lack experience like the Thunder do. While Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has looked invincible at times this series, he has never made it this far in the playoffs. 

Victor Wembanyama is in his third season in the NBA; guard Stephon Castle is in his second, and Dylan Harper is in his rookie season. While the three of them are great players, are they ready to elevate their games to a new height if they get through the Thunder?

While the Spurs don't have much experience being this deep in the playoffs, the Knicks also do not have much of a championship pedigree. Only three players on the Knicks' active roster have ever played in the NBA Finals. Those players were Mikal Bridges, Jordan Clarkson, and OG Anunoby. 

Throughout the Knicks' playoff run, they have beaten up on teams with minimal playoff experience. The Hawks had veterans on their roster, but the team was relatively young and did not have much overall playoff experience. 

The 76ers had players like Paul George and Joel Embiid who had a good amount of playoff experience, but a player like VJ Edgecombe was new to the scene, as it was his first playoff run. 

The Cavaliers had a healthy mix of veterans and young players, but it showed the team was not cut out for the moment. Even their best player, Donovan Mitchell, disappeared in the big moments and had no answer for New York. 

The majority of Knicks players have yet to make a Finals appearance, but this is their second deep playoff run in a row, and this time it feels different. This Knicks team feels like they belong, and if they play the Spurs in the Finals, that gives them a huge leg up.