THE FINAL FOUR

2026 NBA CONFERENCE FINALS PREVIEWS

Sixteen teams started the playoffs in April. Four are left. Oklahoma City defends its title against San Antonio in the West. New York and Cleveland, the East's preseason co-favorites, finally meet in the conference finals.

Tip-off — Mon & Tue

Broadcast — NBC · Peacock · ESPN

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WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Mon May 18 · 8:30 PM ET · NBC / Peacock

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OKC — Oklahoma City Thunder

No. 1 Seed · 64–18 · Reigning Champion

vs.

SAS — San Antonio Spurs

No. 2 Seed · 62–20 · First CF Since 2014

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The MVP and the Phenom

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This is the matchup the league wanted. Oklahoma City has not lost a game this postseason. The Thunder swept Phoenix in the first round and the Lakers in the second, and they enter the conference finals 8–0. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fresh off his second straight MVP, is the favorite to win his second straight title.

San Antonio is here ahead of schedule. The Spurs beat Portland in five games, then closed out Minnesota in six with a 30-point Game 6. Victor Wembanyama, in his third season, is doing what no one expected him to do this soon: pushing a young roster past the second round and into a matchup that will define the next decade of the West.

"They dare you to make jump shots, then they live in the paint. The question is whether OKC's wings make San Antonio regret the bargain."

— Western Conference scout, via ESPN

The strategic question of the series belongs to OKC's wings. In five regular-season meetings, San Antonio sagged off Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and Alex Caruso to clog the lane for Gilgeous-Alexander. Wembanyama floated off a role player so he could roam the paint. If those three Thunder defenders hit threes, the Spurs' defensive plan falls apart. If they don't, Wembanyama controls every possession on his end of the floor.

There is one complication. Jalen Williams, the Thunder's second-leading scorer, is out for Game 1 with a hamstring strain. Williams says he is ready; the team is being careful. Oklahoma City has not lost without him in this postseason, but they have also not faced an offense as healthy as San Antonio's right now.

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TALE OF THE TAPE

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OKC STAT SAS

1 Seed 2

64–18 Reg. Season 62–20

8–0 Postseason 8–3

SGA MVP Wemby

2025 Last Finals 2014

−6.5 Game 1 Line +6.5

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THREE KEYS

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1. OKC'S SHOOTING WINGS

San Antonio will sag off Dort, Wallace, and Caruso. If those three hit threes, the Spurs' defense breaks. If they don't, Wemby roams the paint.

2. GUARDING WEMBANYAMA

OKC has no obvious matchup for a 7-foot-3 ball-handler with range. Expect double teams and a series-long chess match about who picks him up.

3. WILLIAMS' HEALTH

Out for Game 1, day-to-day after. With Williams, OKC are heavy favorites. Without him, the margin tightens every possession.

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SCHEDULE · ALL TIMES ET

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Game 1 Mon May 18 8:30 PM NBC / Peacock @ OKC

Game 2 Wed May 20 8:30 PM NBC / Peacock @ OKC

Game 3 Fri May 22 8:30 PM NBC / Peacock @ SAS

Game 4 Sun May 24 8:30 PM NBC / Peacock @ SAS

Game 5 Tue May 26 8:30 PM if necessary @ OKC

Game 6 Thu May 28 8:30 PM if necessary @ SAS

Game 7 Sat May 30 8:30 PM if necessary @ OKC

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02 — EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Tue May 19 · 8:00 PM ET · ESPN

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MATCHUP:

NYK — New York Knicks

No. 3 Seed · 8–2 · Rested

vs.

CLE — Cleveland Cavaliers

No. 4 Seed · 8–6 · Two Game 7s Survived

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The Co-Favorites Finally Meet

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Six months ago, the futures market could not separate them. New York and Cleveland were priced as twin co-favorites in the East before the season started. The bracket fell exactly the way the books expected. The Knicks come in off a four-game sweep of Philadelphia that ended with a Game 4 in which New York made 25 threes, tying an NBA playoff record. The Cavaliers come in off two consecutive seven-game series, closing out Detroit with a Game 7 blowout on the road on Sunday night.

The rest gap matters. New York's starters have played 309 postseason minutes. Cleveland's have played 460 — almost 50 percent more. That is the equivalent of an extra playoff series, and the conference finals run on an every-other-day schedule. The Cavaliers have survived everything so far. They have not had to survive a rested opponent.

"Towns will be the most skilled matchup the Cavs have faced. Mobley and Allen are elite at the rim, but Karl is playing the best basketball of his career."

— Jamal Collier, ESPN

Four players will decide this series. Jalen Brunson runs into the league's stingiest perimeter defense and has to find a way to his spots. Karl-Anthony Towns, shooting at a career-high rate, is exactly the matchup New York wants against Evan Mobley, who is excellent at the rim but less comfortable defending a stretch big to the three-point line. Donovan Mitchell, who scored 39 points in a half against Detroit to tie Sleepy Floyd's playoff record, is the most dangerous individual scorer left in the East. And James Harden — still here at 36 — is running fourth quarters for Cleveland with one thing left to win.

The series will be long. It will be physical. New York has not been to the Finals since 1999. Cleveland has not been since 2018. Whichever team wins is one round away from ending one of those droughts.

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TALE OF THE TAPE

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NYK STAT CLE

3 Seed 4

8–2 Postseason 8–6

309 Starter Min. 460

Brunson Engine Mitchell

1999 Last Finals 2018

2–1 Season Series 1–2

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THREE KEYS

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1. THE TOWNS MATCHUP

Towns is shooting better than ever. Cleveland's twin-big lineup of Mobley and Allen is elite at the rim, but neither wants to defend 28 feet from the basket.

2. CLEVELAND'S MILEAGE

Fourteen playoff games already. Two of them Game 7s. The Cavaliers have outlasted everyone — but can they keep up with a rested team on this schedule?

3. BRUNSON VS. THE WALL

Cleveland has the best perimeter defense in the playoffs. If Brunson can't reach his spots, New York's offense gets thin in a hurry.

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SCHEDULE · ALL TIMES ET

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Game 1 Tue May 19 8:00 PM ESPN @ CLE

Game 2 Thu May 21 8:00 PM ESPN @ CLE

Game 3 Sat May 23 8:30 PM ESPN @ NYK

Game 4 Mon May 25 8:00 PM ESPN @ NYK

Game 5 Wed May 27 8:00 PM if necessary @ CLE

Game 6 Fri May 29 8:00 PM if necessary @ NYK

Game 7 Sun May 31 8:00 PM if necessary @ CLE

The Finals tip June 3. Oklahoma City has home-court advantage against any opponent. Two of these four teams go home soon. The other two play for the title.