Knicks' Deuce McBride Shows Respect for Spurs Before NBA Finals Matchup

The San Antonio Spurs punched their ticket to the 2026 NBA Finals with a Game 7 victory over the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, securing their spot in the championship series against the New York Knicks.

The Knicks have been waiting for their NBA Finals opponent since their Game 4 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, marking their 11th consecutive playoff win dating back to their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.

Knicks’ reserve guard Deuce McBride spoke with reporters on Sunday, discussing the team’s upcoming matchup against San Antonio.

McBride showed a clear reverence for the Spurs and their mentality.

“First off, all glory to God. They’re a special team. Obviously, they have the defensive player of the year, obviously a great organization and they’ve got a lot of great young guys. We’re just excited for this matchup,” McBride said.

“They’re relentless. They’re young, they have that mentality of just go out there and scrap and make it a tough game. I love that,” he continued when asked about the Spurs’ young backcourt featuring Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper.

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The Knicks went 2-1 against the Spurs this past season, including a championship victory over San Antonio in the NBA Cup.

“We treated it closely to a playoff game. We haven’t been to the Finals, they haven’t been to the Finals, so it’s going to be totally different and a lot has happened since then,” McBride said of that Dec. 16 matchup.

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Game 1 will tipoff on June 3.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 6:31 PM.