All posts tagged: finals

Spike Lee Interview: New York Knicks Face the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals

Spike Lee Interview: New York Knicks Face the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals

Published by Sam Flores

Vanity Fair: As we speak, it isn’t just your Knicks that are prepping for a title shot. Your other favorite team, Arsenal, is about to play in the Champions League final. What did you do to make all this happen? Spike Lee: [Laughs] Here’s the thing. I became an Arsenal fan when Thierry Henry joined the squad. But I was reading history about Arsenal—I forget the year, but they had, like, an all-black team. Brothers! So that really gained my interest. I went to a couple of games, and Thierry and I are friends. In New York City, at least, Arsenal has become kind of the hipster fan team. Mayor Zohran Mamdani is a supporter, and it seems like half of Williamsburg. What do you make of that? I can’t speak to that. All I know is that there’s a bar next to my office in Brooklyn called Fancy Free, which is the unofficial official headquarters of the supporters of Arsenal. We’ll be there packed in tomorrow for this, hopefully, demolition of PSG! [Unfortunately, Paris …

San Antonio Spurs win the West, beating Oklahoma City Thunder to head to NBA Finals : NPR

San Antonio Spurs win the West, beating Oklahoma City Thunder to head to NBA Finals : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

The San Antonio Spurs celebrate after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals of the NBA basketball playoffs series Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Oklahoma City. Nate Billings/AP Photo hide caption toggle caption Nate Billings/AP Photo Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs started the Western Conference finals with a win in Oklahoma City, then ended the series the same way. The champions are dethroned. Wembanyama and the Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals. Wembanyama scored 22 points, Julian Champagnie got 18 of his 20 off of 3-pointers and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday night — bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road. “This feeling, I can’t explain it,” Wembanyama said. “It’s so powerful.” Stephon Castle scored 16 points and De’Aaron Fox had 15. Dylan Harper added 12 and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each finished with 11 for the Spurs, who are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. They will host the New York Knicks in …

San Antonio Spurs advance to NBA Finals, ousting reigning champion Thunder

San Antonio Spurs advance to NBA Finals, ousting reigning champion Thunder

Published by Sam Flores

For the eighth consecutive year, the NBA will have a new champion. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The longest streak of seasons with a different champion in NBA history extended Saturday when the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder were ousted in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals by San Antonio, 111–103. Victor Wembanyama had a team-high 22 points and seven rebounds in the win for San Antonio, which will now face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals. It’s a rematch from 27 years ago, when these teams met in the 1999 Finals won by San Antonio and its twin-tower duo of David Robinson and Tim Duncan, both former No. 1 overall draft picks. This time around, the Spurs are led by another enormously talented big man in 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, the sensational former No. 1 pick who has led his team to the Finals in his third NBA season, and only his first postseason appearance. Saturday’s Game 7 was only Wembanyama’s 18th …

Wembanyama, Spurs Win the West, Topple Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 to Head to NBA Finals

Wembanyama, Spurs Win the West, Topple Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 to Head to NBA Finals

Published by Sam Flores

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs started the Western Conference finals with a win in Oklahoma City, then ended the series the same way. The champions are dethroned. Wembanyama and the Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals. Wembanyama scored 22 points, Julian Champagnie got 18 of his 20 off of 3-pointers and the Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 on Saturday night — bucking heavy odds to win a Game 7 on the road. “This feeling, I can’t explain it,” Wembanyama said. “It’s so powerful.” Stephon Castle scored 16 points and De’Aaron Fox had 15. Dylan Harper added 12 and Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell each finished with 11 for the Spurs, who are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. They will host the New York Knicks in Game 1 on Wednesday night. “Back in October, we knew we had a chance to be pretty good,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. Correction — the Spurs have a chance to be great. Championship-level great. …

The NBA Finals are a reward for long-suffering Knicks fans — and this broadcaster

The NBA Finals are a reward for long-suffering Knicks fans — and this broadcaster

Published by Sam Flores

When the NBA Finals tip off Wednesday, there will almost certainly be a who’s who of long-suffering fans in attendance who have waited an agonizing 27 years to see the New York Knicks back on basketball’s biggest stage. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. One of them will even be in the broadcast booth. ESPN’s Mike Breen will be the play-by-play man for his record-extending 21st straight NBA Finals this year. And for the first time, the New York native will be calling the team he grew up rooting for in the championship round. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say there are emotions,” Breen acknowledged to NBC News this week. In addition to his work for ESPN, Breen has called Knicks games locally for over 30 years. He began as the team’s radio announcer in 1991, and after a brief stint as the lead play-by-play man later that decade, he took over the position for good in 2004. “It’s not just that I was a …

New York back in NBA Finals for first time since 1999 : NPR

New York back in NBA Finals for first time since 1999 : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, center, and teammates celebrate after winning Game 4 in the Eastern Conference finals NBA basketball playoffs series against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland, Monday, May 25, 2026 Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption toggle caption Sue Ogrocki/AP CLEVELAND — Karl Anthony-Towns had 19 points and 14 rebounds, OG Anunoby scored 17 and the New York Knicks routed the Cleveland Cavaliers 130-93 Monday night to complete a four-game sweep of the Eastern Conference finals and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. Landry Shamet scored 16 off the bench while Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson had 15 apiece for the Knicks, who became the fourth team to have an 11-game winning streak during their postseason run. The last to do it was Golden State, which had a 15-game run en route to its second title in three seasons in 2017. All but one of the Knicks’ wins have been by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 23.7 points. “I feel like the word ‘hope’ has …

Knicks move two wins from the NBA Finals with 109-93 victory over the Cavs | Basketball News

Knicks move two wins from the NBA Finals with 109-93 victory over the Cavs | Basketball News

Published by Sam Flores

New York Knicks use an explosive third quarter to take a 2-0 lead over Cleveland in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. Published On 22 May 202622 May 2026 Josh Hart scored a playoff career-high 26 points, Jalen Brunson had 19 points and 14 assists, and the New York Knicks moved halfway to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-93. Mikal Bridges also scored 19 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 points and 13 rebounds to help the Knicks win their ninth straight game on Thursday night. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list That is the NBA’s longest postseason winning streak since the Boston Celtics won 10 straight on their way to the 2024 championship. Hart went 5 from 11 from 3-point range, burning a defensive strategy that seemed built around leaving him open from long range, and also had seven assists. “Just a whale of a game from Josh,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. Two nights after rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the …

2026 NCAA Basketball Finals TV Ratings Rise

2026 NCAA Basketball Finals TV Ratings Rise

Published by Daniella Wilson

A pair of powerhouse matchups in the NCAA basketball championships resulted in big audiences for the men’s and women’s finals. Both games showed year-to-year ratings gains — which is particularly notable for the men’s side, as Monday’s final aired on TNT Sports rather than CBS; the broadcast network’s years with the title game typically bring in larger audiences. Michigan’s 69-63 win over Connecticut Monday night averaged 18.3 million viewers on TBS, TNT and TruTV, up a little from the 18.1 million who watched the 2025 title game on CBS (with the caveat that Nielsen has added a big data component to its ratings measurement this season). Monday’s telecast improved by about 23 percent over the last time TNT Sports carried the championship in 2024 and was the most watched men’s title game since 2019. The women’s championship game Sunday afternoon on ABC and ESPN, meanwhile, delivered 9.88 million viewers who watched UCLA thump South Carolina, 79-51. The game grew about 16 percent from 8.5 million viewers last year and finished as the third most-watched women’s …

Gyokeres strikes late as Sweden edge Poland to reach World Cup finals

Gyokeres strikes late as Sweden edge Poland to reach World Cup finals

Published by Sam Flores

STOCKHOLM, March 31 : Viktor Gyokeres thumped home an 88th-minute winner as Sweden beat Poland 3-2 in a frantic World Cup qualification playoff final on Tuesday, booking their ticket to the tournament and extending Poland’s remarkable winless streak on Swedish soil. The result earned Sweden a first World Cup appearance since 2018 after failing to qualify four years ago and ensured Poland’s barren run in Sweden continued with the visitors having failed to secure a victory in the country since 1930. Anthony Elanga’s opener for Sweden was cancelled out by Nicola Zalewski’s equaliser, but Gustaf Lagerbielke’s 44th-minute strike restored the hosts’ advantage and ensured they entered the break ahead. Despite Karol Swiderski drawing the visitors level again shortly after the interval, Gyokeres capitalised on a late goalmouth scramble to fire home the winner. “To do it on home soil is indescribable. We believed in it until the end and that’s why we’re in the World Cup. Regardless of whether you get a lot of balls or not, you try to be connected and present,” Gyokeres …

Tiger Woods returns to action with TGL Finals loss, no Masters decision yet

Tiger Woods returns to action with TGL Finals loss, no Masters decision yet

Published by Sam Flores

March 24 : Tiger Woods’ return to competitive golf was a disappointing one as his Jupiter Links Golf Club was crushed 9-2 by the Los Angeles Golf Club in the TGL Finals in Florida on Tuesday, but his mere appearance gave fans hope he may tee it up at next month’s Masters. The 50-year-old Woods, who has undergone multiple surgeries in recent years and had not competed on the PGA Tour since missing the British Open cut in 2024, said he was pleased to be back in action at the indoor golf league, which combines elements of simulated golf with real chipping and putting. “It felt great to be back with these guys. This was our team from last year and we have so much fun,” Woods said while standing alongside teammates Max Homa and Tom Kim. Playing without Woods, Jupiter Links lost their opening match of the best-of-three finals on Monday and after taking an early 2-0 lead in Tuesday’s do-or-die second match, conceded the championship after Los Angeles reeled off three consecutive eagles. …