NBA · Championship Series · 2026 · Final result

2026 NBA Finals

Series complete: New York Knicks win the title, 4-1 over the San Antonio Spurs.

The 2026 NBA Finals are over. The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs 4-1 to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy, their first championship since 1973, with Jalen Brunson scoring 45 points in the Game 5 clincher. The series will be remembered for Game 4, when New York erased a 29-point deficit for the largest comeback in Finals history.

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Champions · Eastern Conference

New York Knicks

Won the series 4-1. First NBA title since 1973.

Runners-up · Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs

Wembanyama's first Finals ends in a Game 4 collapse.

Games — best-of-seven

Series tracker →

Explore the series

How the NBA Finals work

Best-of-seven championship series. The Eastern Conference champion meets the Western Conference champion. Higher-seeded team holds home-court advantage (Games 1, 2, 5, 7).

The 2-2-1-1-1 schedule format means the higher seed hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7; the lower seed hosts Games 3, 4, and 6. If the series ends in 4, 5, or 6 games, the remaining games aren't played. The winner lifts the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy; the series MVP wins the Bill Russell Finals MVP.

A short history of the championship

The NBA Finals has been a best-of-seven series since 1955. Most titles: Boston Celtics with 18. Most Finals MVPs: Michael Jordan with 6. Recent champions include the Boston Celtics (2024), Denver Nuggets (2023), Golden State Warriors (2022), Milwaukee Bucks (2021), and Los Angeles Lakers (2020).