Your assignment: Check out The Finals ... thank me later
· Yahoo Sports
Jun. 3—CHAMPAIGN — We live in a community that loves basketball.
Brad Underwood's Illini are coming off the program's first Final Four appearance since 2005 with a realistic hope for a return trip in 2027 and a chance to win the school's first national basketball title with Illinois' core basically all returning.
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So, you would think all that basketball love would carry over to the pro game, as well. With some exceptions, this is not a place that embraces the NBA. I'm about to tell you why it should.
The NBA Finals start Wednesday night in San Antonio, with a guaranteed new champion. The Spurs took care of that by knocking off 2025 winner Oklahoma City in Game 7 last Saturday night.
The Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks — looking for their first title in 53 years — tip off against the Western winner Spurs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
Please do yourself a favor and watch. Why?
Here are five good reasons.
1. The new GOAT
The two best players I have ever seen in person were Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.
"The Stilt" was winding down his Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the then-reigning NBA champions — who set a record with 69 wins — rolled my hometown Kansas City-Omaha Kings by 35 points. I was 11 and my brother drove the wrong direction on one-way street going home. Perhaps a story for another day.
I always considered Chamberlain the Greatest Of All Time until Michael Jordan showed up in the 1980s.
During his run with the Chicago Bulls (good draft pick, Chicago), Jordan captured six titles in an eight-year run.
I spent big bucks (for a sportswriter), to take my wife and her parents to a game at the United Center. We saw the pre-Stephen Curry Warriors do the expected and lose to the Bulls. Our seats were about two rows from the top of the building, and it didn't matter. Worth every penny. And nosebleed.
The next guy on my must-see list (I'm ready to pay) is 7-foot-4 Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.
Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show" Monday, joked that Wemby is "14-feet tall and growing." Stewart is a nervous Knicks fan.
Wemby is only 22 and way ahead of the curve. The Spurs were down before he arrived, and he facilitated a quick fix.
Wemby is the perfect combination of unreal athleticism, work ethic and unlimited drive.
I'm thrilled we get to watch him the next decade-plus. He is only going to get better. If you told me the Spurs are going to win the next five titles, I couldn't argue. He is that good.
2. Oh so close
When it came time to pick a college, Knicks star Jalen Brunson was down to two schools: Villanova and Illinois.
How different would life have been for John Groce had he landed the former Stevenson star? Groce might still be coaching at Illinois and not at the College of Charleston.
Brunson helped Villanova win a pair of NCAA titles. All that success eventually translated to the NBA for the 6-2 guard.
After a slow start with Dallas — he averaged 9.3 points his rookie year and didn't become a starter until his fourth season — he found a starring role with the Knicks.
In four seasons as a starter in New York, he has averaged at least 24 points per game and been an All-Star three times.
In leading his current team to The Finals, Brunson has become a part of the team's Mount Rushmore that includes Willis Reed, Walt Frazier and Patrick Ewing. Good company.
With Brunson leading the offense, the Knicks have been sizzling during the playoffs, winning by big scores while sweeping the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, with New York on an 11-game winning streak entering the Finals.
3. Defense never rests
The gripe about the NBA used to be players were left unguarded.
Not now. The defensive intensity, especially in the playoffs, is other-worldly. In fact, it might be too good, with every shot challenged.
Wemby is a shot-blocking machine. Not as measurable is the number of shots he alters just by being in the way. He did a number on Oklahoma City's just-as-tall Chet Holmgren.
The Knicks are also fantastic on D, led by OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart.
4. Putting 'Pop' on top
Gregg Popovich won five NBA titles as the Spurs' coach, earning a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
He continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in 2024. He has remained connected to the current team, offering blunt advice that helped it reach The Finals.
The respect for Pop the coach and the person runs deep among the Spurs' players and coaches. Giving him another title is certainly a driving force.
Expect to hear many references to the great coach during the ABC telecasts.
5. Big Ten connections
Spurs rookie Dylan Harper spent a season at Rutgers. He is a future star.
Seldom-used guard Jordan McLaughlin played at Southern California.
For the Knicks, Anunoby played at Indiana.
Coach Mike Brown's top assistant Chris Jent played at Ohio State.
So, there are plenty of reasons to tune in the next couple weeks to watch the best the NBA has to offer with its championship series.
You'll thank me later.