The 2026 NBA Finals are just a few days away, with the New York Knicks awaiting the results of the Western Conference Finals. The San Antonio Spurs and the OKC Thunder will lock horns in Game 7 on Saturday, so the final matchup will be confirmed shortly, with Game 1 of the NBA Finals likely tipping off in either OKC or San Antonio on Tuesday, June 2.
The Milwaukee Bucks didn’t even make the postseason, but franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has kept a close eye on the action. With Antetokounmpo reportedly available for trade, teams all around the NBA are scrambling to see if they have what is needed to acquire Antetokounmpo. The Knicks likely would’ve been frontrunners in these talks if they had been eliminated already, and are still an option if they wind up losing the NBA Finals.
But according to Antetokounmpo, he doesn’t foresee that happening. In a recent live stream with Marlon, Antetokounmpo vehemently picked his conference rivals to lift the NBA Championship to end the season.
“I think the Knicks will win, because basketball is mental. The city just rallies behind him. (New York) is fire.”
Antetokounmpo even told Marlon to make sure he attends the Knicks’ championship parade when it happens.
“You gotta be in the crowd screaming with them, yelling, ‘We outside!'”
While Antetokounmpo had praise for the city’s excitement about their basketball team, he also made it clear that the Madison Square Garden crowd isn’t as good compared to the Boston Celtics or the Philadelphia 76ers.
“No, we were good. I feel like the best arena was Boston or Philly; they go crazy. Playoffs are crazier, but for the regular season, it’s Celtics and 76ers.”
Giannis’ choice for the NBA Finals is interesting, as the Knicks’ opponent isn’t certain yet. New York might have a slight edge against a tired and inexperienced Spurs squad in the Finals, but might be outmatched by the Thunder, who’ve been the best team in the NBA for the last two seasons, and a No. 1 seed for three straight seasons.
The momentum of the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns squad seems hard to stop right now, and Antetokounmpo is betting that momentum is what carries them over the top in what will be a historic championship win. It would also likely mean that the Knicks will officially be out of the conversation of potential teams that’ll acquire Giannis.
The Knicks were heavily rumored as a potential Antetokounmpo destination for most of last season, with the team having multiple combinations of player-focused deals they could send to the Bucks. The speculation was so intense that it even upset Towns over the course of the season.
That speculation has to be put on hold for now, as the Knicks definitely won’t trade their core away for Giannis if they emerge out of the 2026 NBA Finals as champions. Even a loss won’t necessarily cause that sort of a shift, given how convincingly the Knicks beat the East in the postseason.
The most active suitors for Antetokounmpo seem to be in the Western Conference, with rumors surrounding both the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors heating up in recent weeks. It’ll be interesting to see how the Bucks handle this interest and whether they make a final decision before the NBA Draft at the end of June.
