<\/p>\n
In keeping with the recent 1990s nostalgia boom, this year’s NBA<\/a> Finals feature a rematch of the 1999 Finals between the New York Knicks<\/a> and San Antonio Spurs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the two decades that followed that series \u2014 which the Spurs won handily behind a young Tim Duncan, four games to one \u2014 the franchises went in opposite directions. The Spurs became the league’s model franchise, a dynasty, winning five titles from 1999 and 2014. San Antonio was a legitimate contender for nearly 20 straight seasons; the Knicks became a dumpster fire on and off the court and rarely made the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n And while today’s Spurs are similarly positioned to dominate the rest of the 2020s and 2030s, the Knicks are a more than formidable opponent this time, with a core of stars and high-level role players in their primes. It should make for a memorable NBA Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n In reverse order, here are the 10 best players in the series, which begins Wednesday in San Antonio. \u00a0<\/p>\n Hart is all heart \u2014 the cliche writes itself. He’s a winning player. He plays through injuries. He does whatever his team asks of him. He is the ultimate role player.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 6-foot-5 guard is also potentially the biggest X factor in the Finals because the Spurs will likely guard him with Wemby so Wemby can freelance near the basket and dare Hart to shoot. While Hart is inconsistent from three (30.3 percent in the playoffs), he is a good playmaker (4.6 APG in the playoffs) and excellent rebounder for his size (8.6 RPG in the playoffs). If he can consistently make the Spurs pay for leaving him alone, the Knicks might be raising their first championship banner since 1973.<\/p>\n Cheating the exercise right off the bat, but it felt wrong to leave one of San Antonio’s excellent wings off the list. Vassell is averaging 13 PPG this postseason and doing everything coach Mitch Johnson needs of him \u2014 even playing 51 minutes in the Spurs’ pivotal Game 1, double-overtime victory over the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.\u00a0<\/p>\n Champagnie is no slouch either, and is shooting 39.3 percent from three in his first career postseason. Like Vassell, he is completely unafraid of the moment. His 20 points and six three-pointers in Game 7 against the Thunder swung the deciding game in the Spurs’ favor.<\/p>\n Remember when the Bridges trade was getting roasted during the first round of the playoffs? Feels like a different lifetime. The guard has been the picture of efficiency during this run \u2014 16.6 PPG on a video-game 71.4 percent shooting on two-pointers in the Knicks’ 11-game win streak. It’s crazy because most of those shots are jumpers. Bridges is ultra-important in this series as he’ll be tasked with keeping the Spurs trio of guards in check.<\/p>\n Here’s the part that should terrify the league: Harper is 20. The 2025 No. 2 pick is already closing playoff games with grown-man poise. The power, the handle, the finishing craft \u2014 it’s all already there for the guard, and it’s only getting scarier.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pressed into the starting lineup for an injured De’Aaron Fox in Game 1 of the West finals, he went for 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a franchise-playoff-record seven steals \u2014 with one turnover, in 47 minutes. He dropped a career-high 27 back in Round 1. He also helped close out the Thunder with big games off the bench in Games 6 and 7, including a step-back three in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s face that effectively ended the series.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fox has been playing through a high-ankle sprain, which has zapped some of his speed and athleticism. That said, his presence and maturity are of the utmost importance to the Spurs because it keeps the offensive engine humming. The guard draws the attention and lightens the load on Castle, Harper and Wemby \u2014 allowing the three of them to exert more on both ends of the court.\u00a0<\/p>\n For years the book on KAT was simple: gorgeous offense, gettable defense (if you had a dollar for every stupid foul he committed, you’d be on an NBA contract), first to get blamed when the lights got bright. Watch what he’s doing now. He’s still a matchup nightmare \u2014 roughly 17 and 11 a night \u2014 but the eye-opener is the playmaking, nearly six assists a game while running stretches as a point-center, orchestrating from the elbow. And the defense? He’s trying<\/em>, and the Knicks are killing it this postseason. The scapegoat label no longer fits.<\/p>\n He’ll never be the most talented<\/em> Knick \u2014 that’s KAT \u2014 but he might be the most important<\/em> one not named Brunson. On the defensive side of the court, Anunoby will likely be the primary defender on Victor Wembanyama and will need to use every bit of his 6-foot-7, 240-pound frame to keep Wemby at bay. On offense, OG will need to continue his ultra-efficient production (19.7 PPG with 58-48-85 shooting splits in the playoffs). It’s a monumental task, but something tells me Anunoby could be up for the challenge.<\/p>\n Last year’s Rookie of the Year has spent this postseason confirming to the NBA world that he is already a star, and on his way to becoming a superstar. Through 18 playoff games, he’s averaging 19.2 PPG, 6.7 APG, 4.9 RPG and guarding the opponents’ best player. He’s an absolute dog \u2014 like prime Jrue Holiday in Andre Iguodala’s body \u2014 and the type of running mate tailor-made to play alongside Wemby for the next dozen years. Watching him refuse to back down against SGA last series was a treat, and watching him try to tame the super-shifty and ultra-crafty Jalen Brunson in the Finals will be a blast as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n Brunson certainly isn’t the tallest or twitchiest man on the floor \u2014 but he’s the most patient, creative and unbothered. Nothing fazes him. He’s averaging 26.9 PPG and 6.6 APG this postseason while carrying the well-rounded Knicks to their first Finals since 1999, collecting the Larry Bird Trophy as East finals MVP on the way out. These Finals will provide him with an opportunity to become the biggest name in New York sports since Derek Jeter, and arguably the greatest Knick in their franchise’s storied history.<\/p>\n10. Josh Hart | New York Knicks<\/h2>\n
9. Devin Vassell \/ Julian Champagnie | San Antonio Spurs<\/h2>\n
8. Mikal Bridges | New York Knicks<\/h2>\n
7. Dylan Harper | San Antonio Spurs<\/h2>\n
6. De’Aaron Fox | San Antonio Spurs<\/h2>\n
5. Karl-Anthony Towns | New York Knicks<\/h2>\n
4. OG Anunoby | New York Knicks<\/h2>\n
3. Stephon Castle | San Antonio Spurs<\/h2>\n
2. Jalen Brunson | New York Knicks<\/h2>\n
1. Victor Wembanyama | San Antonio Spurs<\/h2>\n