Jun. 1—is reportedly down to her final three schools. And the consensus four-star power forward/center in the 2027 class has narrowed her list down to a final top three of Illinois, Ohio State and Virginia Tech, according to of 247Sports.

The 6-foot-2 Mobley — who is from Sunbury, Ohio, just outside of Columbus —averaged 20.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists as a junior last season for Big Walnut, which finished with a 23-5 record after losing to Mount Notre Dame in a OHSAA Division II state semifinal game. For her high school career — which has included one season at Lewis Center Olentangy and two years at Big Walnut — Mobley has produced a total of 1,508 points, 835 rebounds, 228 assists, 186 steals and 145 blocks.

Mobley, who is ranked as high as No. 22 in the 2027 class by ESPN, made an official visit on April 25 to Virginia Tech and is also set to go on official visits this summer to Illinois (June 22) and Ohio State (June 27).

If the Illini were to land Mobley, it would be a major recruiting win for considering Mobley has grown up right in the Buckeyes' backyard.

Illinois signed just one freshman in the 2026 class so far. It made perfect sense that the Illini would turn mostly to the transfer portal after Green and Co. signed a top-10 recruiting class in 2026, with Illinois' haul led by five freshmen in five-star guard , four-star guard and four-star forwards , and .

Jackson and Parchment made an immediate impact on an Illini team that finished with a 22-12 record during the this past 2025-26 season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, while Alves sat out the season with a knee injury and Finney (Loyola Marymount) and Benson (Cincinnati) have transferred elsewhere this offseason. Finney also missed last season with a knee injury, and Benson played sparingly as a freshman at Illinois.

The Illini have since added LSU transfer guard , a former five-star recruit who will be a sophomore during the 2026-27 season, plus junior-college guard and freshman center from from ŽKK Mega Superbet in Belgrade, Serbia. Brenjo, who is from Nevesinje, Bosnia, is the lone true freshman in the 2026 class for Illinois, although Green said last week she expects to add one more player to bring the Illini roster to the full 15-player allotment for the 2026-27 season.

MIAMI — When it comes to sizing up the potential choices for the Heat’s No. 13 draft slot, the question could come down to measuring up.

It was back in February, at the trading deadline, when NBA sources familiar with the Heat approach downplayed the team’s interest in Ja Morant because of the lithe build the the Memphis Grizzlies guard.

As in his listed 174-point frame perhaps not up to the defensive rigors required by a Heat approach that can include plenty of switching defense.

And yet when the top of this year’s draft is scoured, it is one loaded with backcourt talent, but also plenty of backcourt talent on the lithe side.

That includes prospects at or near the Heat’s range at No. 13 that include (with NBA.com listed weight) Alabama guard Labaron Philon Jr. (176), Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson (180), Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr. (180), Houston guard Kingston Flemings (183) and Baylor guard Cameron Carr (184).

The only players on the Heat’s final 2025-26 roster who were listed at lower than the 210 pounds of Tyler Herro or Kasparas Jakucionis were seldom-used Jahmir Young (185) and mainstay Dru Smith (200).

To their credit, the Heat have bulked up numerous draft picks over the years, including a recent social-media post of the physical gains made since Jakucionis was drafted in last year’s first round out of Illinois.

Which brings it back to – if the Heat retain their No. 13 pick in the June 23 first round – of whether size matters now as it did when the Heat deliberated Morant in February (perhaps to deliberate him again).

“I always remind our scouts,” Heat Assistant General Manager Adam Simon said, “we always talk about we have our principles of what we like, what we look for. There’s things that we always try to like. Who doesn’t like length? Who doesn’t like athleticism? Who doesn’t like positional size?

“But, as you know, there’s heart and there’s IQ and there’s ability to outplay deficiencies that you might have based on size. And if you look in the history of the game, if you basically overlook something based on one aspect of the evaluation, that player can outplay it.”

That, Simon said, brings it back to scouting the positives.

“There are players that aren’t athletic that make it,” he said. “There’s players that are in that size range that become Hall of Famers.”

With now, Jalen Brunson, at 6-2, 190, leading the New York Knicks to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, who have benefited by the 185-pound presence of De’Aaron Fox.

“There’s great talent that comes in all shapes and sizes,” Simon continued. “You’re watching it right now, you know, in the playoffs.”

For years, Heat President Pat Riley has stressed size and length on the wing, which is why there continue to be question of any potential Heat interest in Morant. But when it comes to the draft, the best-player-available approach could lead the Heat to something on the smaller side.

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“Hopefully that your speed and your quickness and shooting can get to the size and their slowness or whatever it is before they can get to you,” Riley said of going in the direction of undersized talent. “And so that’s playing small.

“And that’s playing real small. And that’s like four guards and one great player and putting Bam (Adebayo) in the middle. And that’s the way this league is today.”

Considering the emphasis the Heat placed on their league-leading pace this past season, small might yet find a way on draft night at 601 Biscayne . . . if it’s not replaced in a trade by the size and length of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“For the most part with this pace and space game,” Riley said, “you run it up in four or five seconds. You’re trying to get a shot in the first eight seconds of the shot clock.”

So a good thing in a small package at No. 13 for the Heat on draft night?

“I think,” Simon said, “you have to just keep an open mind that players that might not fit exactly what you’re looking for can be exceptions.”

Apparently, building an expansion team isn’t as hard as it used to be. After the success of Golden State in 2025, when the Valkyries became the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are both in position to repeat the feat, albeit less than one month into the season.

The Tempo signaled their intentions to be competitive in their debut campaign early: They hired two-time WNBA champion Sandy Brondello as their head coach and added an All-Star veteran Brittney Sykes in free agency. Even their nominal WNBA rookies Maria Conde and Laura Juškaitė are 29 and 28 years old, respectively. Still, Toronto sitting second in offensive rating entering Sunday’s games is an impressive feat for a first-year squad.

The bigger surprise has been Portland. The Fire had a number of hiccups in their return to the WNBA. The initial prospective ownership group dropped out, their franchise’s president was fired three months into the job, and their head coach’s hiring was leaked prematurely on LinkedIn. Their first-round pick Iyana Martín was a draft-and-stash, and their first pick in the expansion draft, Bridget Carleton, had a career average of 5.7 points per game. But much like Golden State a year ago, Portland’s players have been empowered in their bigger roles, and they’re riding a great homecourt advantage to a 6-4 record. The Fire’s latest blowout win over Indiana resembled the Valkyries’ nationally-televised demolition of Las Vegas in their eighth game last season.

The potential of expansion to dilute the best teams in the WNBA — the Aces of 2025 were clearly not as deep or dominant as the championship squad of 2023 — remains, but the success of Golden State, Toronto and Portland has highlighted the pool of quality players who can perform in the regular season. Whether this phenomenon continues with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia is an open question, but there seems to be a real value in getting to start from scratch; the energy and freshness seems to have overcome the challenge of the newness.

The matchup between the Fire and Valkyries this week will be a fun test of Portland’s expansion success. Regardless of the result, both teams are comfortably in the top half of this week’s power rankings.

Rank	Team	Previous rank
1	Minnesota	8
2	Atlanta	2
3	Las	1
4	Dallas	10
5	Golden State	9
6	Portland	13
7	New York	4
8	Indiana	7
9	Toronto	11
10	Los Angeles	14
11	Chicago	3
12	Phoenix	5
13	Washington	6
14	Seattle	12
15	Connecticut	15

Two teams trending up

Minnesota Lynx

It remains mind-boggling that a team missing Napheesa Collier (and Carleton, and Jess Shepard, and Alanna Smith, and Natisha Hiedeman …) is sitting atop the WNBA standings. For all of the deserved love coming Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard’s way for their pick-and-roll partnership, the Lynx offense ranks eighth in the WNBA — exactly in the middle. Their league-leading defense (96.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) is the separating factor.

Coach Cheryl Reeve has been cooking up elite defenses for more than a decade, and this season’s squad already has its principles intact, despite an offensive surge around the league. What’s interesting about Minnesota’s defense is it isn’t fueled by turnovers or a low foul rate — the Lynx just force a lot of misses. Opponents are shooting 38.4 percent from the field and 27 percent on 3s. Minnesota is long and quick and rotates on a string, just as it did last season with drastically different personnel.

One player who seems destined to have played for the Lynx and Reeve is Nia Coffey, and not just because she was born and raised in Minneapolis. She seemingly apparates in the half court. With Coffey as the primary defender, opponents have made 8 of 47 field goals this season, which reads like a typo. She’s rarely out of position and usually gets a good contest on jumpers, even if she has to close out from the paint. There might not be a better shot-blocker on jumpers than Coffey.

Coffey starts at the four position but still picks up guards and centers. The only way to really beat her is if a big seals her in transition and scores over the top. It’ll be interesting to see how Coffey gets used when Collier returns since they play the same position, but Coffey has to be part of the rotation.

Dallas Wings

Alyssa Thomas is the premier point forward in the WNBA, but Shepard might be the heir apparent. The Wings are undefeated when Shepard posts at least five assists. For all the questions about how Dallas’ perimeter group would share the ball, it turns out running the offense through Shepard is the key to unlocking this roster’s potential. Shepard showed this level of playmaking as a rookie before tearing her ACL six games into the season. Now, she’s being allowed to run the show again to great effect.

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd have many elite skills, but chief among them is their ability to move off the ball. Shepard takes care of the ball so well that it maximizes the team’s efficiency for her to set up the former UConn duo as well as her fellow Notre Dame alum Arike Ogunbowale. Shepard is also an excellent rebounder, and the grab-and-go element has given the Wings’ offense more flow.

Inverting the offense presents challenges for the opposing defense. They don’t want to put their five on the perimeter on Shepard because those players aren’t always accustomed to fighting through screens, and it eliminates the last line of rim protection. Las Vegas was unwilling to make A’ja Wilson Shepard’s primary defender in its loss to Dallas. But the result is a series of backdoor dimes and Shepard powering her way to the hoop against an undersized matchup when every other defender stays home.

One team trending down

Indiana Fever

Teams are officially duck hunting when they play the Indiana Fever. They’re seeking out Caitlin Clark, getting her involved in the action and isolating against her as much as possible. Veronica Burton and Kaitlyn Chen did it, and Carla Leite picked up the mantle the next time out. The Fever aren’t sending help when Clark gets attacked on drives because their defense’s goal is to prevent 3s (and they give up the fewest attempts in the WNBA). But that means Clark is on an island in the paint, and that can sometimes result in a layup line.

Clark hasn’t been as good in individual defense as she was the last two seasons. Per Synergy, her points allowed per possession has increased from 0.826 and 0.820 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, to 1.000 ppp this year. If opponents are challenging her because of her physical fitness, or the greater ease in earning foul calls in 2026, it’s working. The extra consequence is that it’s wearing Clark out for offense. Against Golden State and Portland, Clark shot 4 of 19 from the field and 2 of 8 on 3-pointers.

It’s a time-honored tradition for elite offensive guards to get hunted on defense; Kelsey Plum and Sabrina Ionescu have often been the recipients of such treatment, even deep into the playoffs. Sue Bird said on an NBC broadcast this week that the key is to get better by learning other players’ tendencies; Clark will never be an elite defender, but she has to use her IQ to become passable.

Rookie of the week

Chance Gray, Los Angeles Sparks

(Reminder: This isn’t the best rookie of the week, rather a player who caught my eye)

Los Angeles needed an infusion of perimeter ballhandling and creation this week after Kelsey Plum’s injury. Despite playing mostly on the wing as an Ohio State senior, Chance Gray has stepped into that opportunity. Gray knows her role in the Sparks’ offense is to get 3s up — she didn’t even attempt a shot inside the arc during the four-game road trip — but now that the 3s are going in, Gray is earning more minutes. In addition to making four triples in a split against Washington and Connecticut, Gray also helped bring the ball up to defray the responsibility from Erica Wheeler and Ariel Atkins during Plum’s absence. The clearest example of what L.A. hopes Gray can do is when she initiated a possession against the Sun, ran a two-player hand-off action with Cameron Brink and sank a 3-pointer when the defense got out of position.

Perhaps most importantly for the Sparks, Gray rates out as average defensively, per Synergy Sports, surrendering 19 points in her 21 possessions as the primary defender. Average is a win for this L.A. team — which entered Sunday’s games about five points per 100 worse than any other defense in the league — especially from a rookie.

Game to circle

Atlanta Dream at Indiana Fever

7 p.m. ET Thursday, Prime Video

It’s the first time these teams have met since their first-round playoff series in the 2025 postseason, which ended in an Indiana upset win despite the Fever’s rash of injuries. Anytime Rhyne Howard and Caitlin Clark match up, it’s good theater. Oh, and Angel Reese is also playing against Clark, though that particular pairing has lost a little juice. This also figures to be an important game for Commissioner’s Cup purposes between the defending Cup champions and the team currently possessing the best record in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is playing much better than Indiana at the moment — just look at their respective performances against Portland last week — but it’s always challenging to go into Gainbridge Fieldhouse and pick up a win.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA

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Q: Ira, are the Thunder now going to jump in to grab Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Heat? – Sal.

A: First, no one is grabbing anyone from the Heat, because at this point it’s all just speculation until the Bucks take a stance. And the Thunder hardly are in a position of desperation after a highly contested Western Conference finals against the Spurs. But, yes, with their trove of draft picks and quality roster components, the Thunder would be well positioned when it comes to a potential offer for Giannis Antetokounmpo. But there remain several overriding factors. First, assuming Giannis watched the West playoffs, he would be aware of the level of challenge just to make it out of the conference. Second, does he want to play second fiddle to MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander? Third, would he commit to spend the balance of his career in Oklahoma? Yes, the Thunder likely could trump other offers, but Giannis will also have a say because of his ability to hit free agency as soon as the 2027 offseason.

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• Submit your “Ask Ira” question here!

Q: I just hope as a Heat fan, they have a Plan B and C if this Giannis Antetokounmpo deal doesn’t happen.  – Douglas.

A: That will come down to what other elite talent might potentially hit the market. But it also would not be surprising to hear plenty of, “We like our young talent.” The pivot could be more in the messaging than the roster construction.

Q: In 2010 we were on top of the world. Since 2014 we have been stuck in purgatory aside from a few irrelevant blips. My question would be has the “Heat Culture” thing been to our own detriment? We are a premiere destination, the whole world wants to come to Miami, but NBA players not so much. We all know our training program is as intensive as any in the league, does it really serve a city like us? Wouldn’t it be better suited for a smaller-market team to run their practices like boot camp with the whole underdog mentality? All we are doing is chasing players away. I think we are better off toning it down and letting South Beach do the talking for us. We can bank on the city’s natural appeal. This generation does not respond to our old-school tactics, it just deters them. – Glen.

A: Nah. For all the talk by some talking-head former players about the Heat way being a detriment to recruiting, actual examples are few and far between. Players want to go where (after, of course, getting paid) they are positioned to succeed. The Heat have been doing that for years and for decades. And for their part, the Heat have little need for those looking for the easy way out. And this is about far more than LeBron’s cookies. In the end, he has been consistent in his praise for the Heat way.

NBA Finals

(all games at 6:30 p.m. MT;

TV broadcast on ABC; x-if necessary)

*

Game 1: New York at San Antonio, Wednesday

*

Game 2: New York at San Antonio, Friday

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Game 3: San Antonio at New York, Monday, June 8

*

Game 4: San Antonio at New York, Wednesday, June 10

*

x-Game 5: New York at San Antonio, Saturday, June 13

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x-Game 6: San Antonio at New York, Tuesday, June 16

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x-Game 7: New York at San Antonio, Friday, June 19

New Mexicans in search of any hint of a rooting interest in this year's NBA Finals are in luck.

While last year's NBA Finals featured prominently Indiana Pacers forward, and former New Mexico State Aggie, Pascal Siakam, this year's finals — which begin Wednesday between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs — feature a man most New Mexicans probably don't even realize lives in the state.

Knicks coach Mike Brown, who was hired a year ago to get one of the NBA's marquee franchises back into the finals for the first time since 1999, has made his offseason home in Albuquerque for the past several years now.

Married to NMSU and St. Pius X High School graduate Rochelle Ledesma, Brown lives on the West Side and loved Albuquerque ever since spending time here during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons watching his son, and former Lobo, Elijah Brown play at UNM.

James Borrego, a former colleague of Brown's as assistants on the Spurs staffs of the early 2000s, can lay claim to being the first New Mexico native (and, like Brown, current New Mexico resident) to be an NBA head coach.

Brown, however, is believed to be the first head coach with any significant ties to New Mexico coaching in the NBA Finals.

Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, is coaching in his second finals. (He also coached the 2007 LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers, who happened to lose to Brown's former team the Spurs.) Brown has also been a part of four NBA championships as an assistant — 2003 with Spurs, and 2017, 2018 and 2022 as the associate head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The Knicks through the years have also boasted brief stints on the court by former Lobos Luc Longley and JR Giddens. Phil Abney and Toby Roybal, the only player in UNM men's basketball to have his number retired, are both former Lobos drafted by the Knicks, though neither ever played for them.

For you Spurs fans, while there isn't a current tie on the court to the state, there are some on the bench and in the past worth noting.

Tim Martin, who played basketball in high school in Rio Rancho and at New Mexico Junior College before an ankle injury ended his playing days, became a basketball trainer and has spent this season as a Spurs assistant coach for player development.

Among the players he trained before they got to the NBA? Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.

Samson Kayode, who spent two seasons (2010-11, 2011-12) as the video coordinator for the NM State under former coach Marvin Menzies, is in his sixth season with Spurs. Kayode worked his way up through the scouting department, and this past year earn the title of associate vice president of scouting.

And then there's UNM all-time leading scorer Charles "Spider" Smith, who was drafted by the Miami Heat in the first round in 1997, but played 60 games and made 22 starts for the Spurs in the 2001-02 season — while both Brown and Borrego were on staff.

New Mexico Junior College gets to lay claim to some significant ties, too, in having been home to Avery Johnson's freshman season of college (1984) before later being a Spurs mainstay. Johnson played 644 games for San Antonio, including being on the franchise's 1999 NBA championship squad.

Who did Johnson and the Spurs beat that year?

The Knicks, in five games, the last time they made the finals.

Some New Mexico ties to the NBA Finals

New York Knicks

Current

• Head coach Mike Brown (lives in Albuquerque, married to an NMSU and a St. Pius grad); Also an assistant with the Spurs from 2000-03

Past

• J.R. Giddens, UNM, played 11 games in 2009-10 season

• Luc Longley, UNM, played 25 games in the 2000-01 season

• Phil Abney, UNM, drafted by the Knicks in 1979 (6th round, No. 115 overall), never played for the Knicks

• Toby Roybal, UNM, drafted by the Knicks in 1956 (13th round, 88th overall), never played for the Knicks

San Antonio Spurs

Current

• Tim Martin, Rio Rancho High School and New Mexico Junior College, is an assistant coach for player development for the Spurs.

• Samson Kayode, NM State, associate vice president of scouting, sixth season with Spurs, was video coordinator at NM State from 2010-12

Past

• James Borrego, lives in Albuquerque, two time NBA champion assistant coach (2005, 2007) on Spurs staff

• Charles Smith, UNM, 60 games (22 starts) in 2001-02 season

• Avery Johnson, NM Junior College (1984), played 10 seasons, 644 games and won won NBA championship (1999) with the Spurs

Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.

The New York Knicks secured a series sweep with their defeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday (May 25), thrusting fans into a decidedly 1999 frame of mind in the process.

Indeed, the last time the Knicks were in the NBA Finals, the world was steeped in (ultimately unfounded) Y2K panic, with era-defining albums from Eminem and blink-182 serving as the soundtrack.

Put another way, it’s been a long time.

Below, we take a closer look at the state of pop culture circa June 1999, the same month the Knicks roared into that year’s NBA Finals, only to later be bested by the San Antonio Spurs. As it stands now, there’s a very real possibility of a Knicks and Spurs rematch next month, meaning the general 1999ness of it all could multiply significantly in the days ahead.

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Celebs sitting courtside for the Knicks in 1999

Spike Lee has been a full-fledged Knicks superfan for decades. In ’99 footage that has garnered renewed attention on social media after the Knicks knocked out the Cavs on Monday (May 25), he’s among the familiar faces seen cheering on the team nearly 30 years ago.

How much have things changed since 1999? Here's what celebrity row looked like for Game 4 of the Finals - the last year the Knicks made it that far until 2026 pic.twitter.com/6cf6mrxDCy

— Velodus✨ (@velodus) May 26, 2026

But what about celebrity row in Game 5, the final game in which the Knicks played in the Finals (until now)? Well, here ya go! pic.twitter.com/b8gnd2ds23

— Velodus✨ (@velodus) May 26, 2026

Eminem, blink-182, Ja Rule, Britney Spears, Missy Elliott, and more released pivotal albums

By the time the Knicks and the Spurs faced off in the 1999 NBA Finals, the world was a mere four months removed from the explosive arrival, and sustaining cultural omnipresence of, Eminem’s The Slim Shady LP.

Other prominent album drops from the first half of 1999 include blink-182’s genre-redefining Enema of the State (the group’s first studio album with Travis Barker); TLC’s FanMail (featuring “No Scrubs”); Ja Rule’s studio debut Venni Vetti Vecci; Britney Spears’s blockbuster …Baby One More Time; Foxy Brown’s Chyna Doll; Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity; The Roots’ Things Fall Apart; Snoop Dogg’s No Limit Top Dogg; Ricky Martin’s self-titled English language debut; Backstreet Boys’ Millennium; Slick Rick’s The Art of Storytelling; Smash Mouth’s Astro Lounge; Mase’s Double Up; The White Stripes’ self-titled debut; Missy Elliott’s Da Real World; Limp Bizkit’s Significant Other; Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Californication; and more.

The Matrix, Austin Powers, Varsity Blues, and more made a splash at theaters

The Matrix, now widely regarded as a classic that forever changed the look and feel of action films, debuted in the States in March 1999. The film ultimately went down as one of the most commercially successful titles of the year, joining other pre-NBA Finals ’99 entries like Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace in the final top 10 at the domestic box office.

Varsity Blues, Office Space, Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Mummy, Run Lola Run, and more also captured the hearts of moviegoers as the world careened toward a new millennium.

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The Sopranos and SpongeBob SquarePants debuted on TV

The pop cultural blessings of 1999 extended to TV, as well, as both The Sopranos and SpongeBob SquarePants had made their debut by the time the Knicks put forth their best effort in pursuit of a chip.

Family Guy and Jon Stewart’s Daily Show run also kicked off in early ’99, while continuing series in the post-Seinfeld TV landscape in the first half of the year included Buffy the Vampire Slayer,South Park, Friends, and The X-Files.

Knicks fans from now on pic.twitter.com/2WyRXRDeVW

— Sopranos World (@SopranosWorld) May 26, 2026

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Some things are outside of the Knicks’ control. Who they play is one of them.

The Knicks didn’t choose the bracket. They didn’t choose which teams got hurt, which teams went seven games, or which opponents arrived running on fumes. They simply beat whoever stepped in front of them.

And because of it, they’re riding an historic 11-game winning streak into the 2026 NBA Finals.

The winner of the Western Conference Finals will become the third consecutive opponent the Knicks face coming off a seven-game series.

Therein lies the lone lingering question surrounding a team that sits four wins from its first championship since 1973.

The Knicks have looked every bit like a title favorite. They’ve also yet to face an opponent that entered a series against them at full strength, fully rested, and fully equipped to match their depth.

That’s not New York’s fault. But it’s worth acknowledging before Game 1 tips off on June 3.

THE HAWKS SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE

The Hawks could have drawn Cleveland in the first round. Instead, they punted on the regular-season finale, secured the sixth seed and booked a trip to Madison Square Garden.

For three games, the gamble looked brilliant.

Atlanta stole home court in Game 2, won Game 3 at State Farm Arena and grabbed a 2-1 series lead.

Then the Knicks buried them.

New York outscored Atlanta by 96 points over the final three games, including an unfathomable 51-point demolition in the series-clinching Game 6.

The Hawks were flawed from the start. They traded Trae Young for 36-year-old C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert. Their best player in the series was 24-year-old Jalen Johnson, a first-time All-Star making his playoff debut as the face of the franchise.

At center, Atlanta had one viable option. Onyeka Okongwu carried the load with Jock Landale sidelined and the remaining options either injured or unplayable.

The Knicks needed six games. The final margin suggested they could have gotten it done much quicker.

THE SIXERS BEAT BOSTON. THEN RAN OUT OF GAS.

Philadelphia entered the playoffs as a team barely above the Play-In line.

The Sixers finished eight games behind the Knicks in the standings and just two games ahead of No. 10 Miami. Their reward was a seven-game upset of the Celtics, a series that took everything out of them.

Joel Embiid returned early from an appendectomy and averaged nearly 30 points against Boston. By the time the Knicks arrived, he was a shell of himself.

The contrast in circumstances was impossible to ignore. The Knicks were rested. The Sixers were exhausted. Game 1 ended in a 39-point blowout. Four games later, the series was over.

The Knicks swept Philadelphia, took over Xfinity Mobile Arena and closed the series with a 30-point rout. The Finals will present a different challenge.

The sea of blue and orange that flooded Philadelphia won’t be making the same impact in Oklahoma City or San Antonio. For the first time this postseason, the Knicks will open a series in a truly hostile environment, and what a time for such a test, with the weight of an NBA title hinging on every make or miss

WHAT ABOUT CLEVELAND?

A season ago, the Cavs won 61 games and entered the playoffs as the East’s top seed. Then they traded for James Harden and disappeared in their biggest games of the playoffs.

Who could have seen that coming?

Cleveland survived seven games against Toronto in Round 1 and seven more against Detroit in Round 2 before getting one day off ahead of the conference finals.

The Knicks got eight. That disparity wasn’t decisive on its own, but it became impossible to ignore as the series unfolded.

The Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead in Game 1 and never recovered. Harden, acquired to elevate Cleveland’s ceiling, never looked like the player they envisioned. Against the Knicks, he averaged 16 points on 39% shooting and 18% from three while posting more turnovers than assists.

By Game 4, the series felt less competitive than the final scores suggested.

The Knicks handled the Cavaliers the way they should have. They sent Kenny Atkinson searching for analytical answers — “analytically, we’re up 2-1,” he said down 0-3. In truth, the Cavs presented little of a threat. The next round will be the Knicks’ toughest task yet.

“This is hard, playing good teams. We’re playing a team right now that has four NBA All-Stars and two of the best shooters in the league on top of those 4 NBA All-Stars, and they have a fantastic coach in Kenny Atkinson,” Mike Brown said after taking a 3-0 series lead over the Cavs. “There’s nothing easy about this.”

WHAT ABOUT OKLAHOMA CITY OR SAN ANTONIO?

Now comes the real test.

The Thunder and Spurs each won more than 60 games. Oklahoma City is the defending champion led by reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. San Antonio is powered by Victor Wembanyama, who’ll likely win at least 3 MVPs in the next six years.

Unlike Atlanta, Philadelphia and Cleveland, neither team arrives as an underdog happy to be here. The Thunder want to repeat as NBA champions. The Spurs would love nothing more than to exact revenge for mid-December.

The Knicks will still hold a rest advantage. The Western Conference Finals has gone seven games, giving New York another opponent coming off an emotional, exhausting series.

But for the first time all postseason, the Knicks will stare across the floor and see a team built to win a championship, not merely survive a round.

The Knicks beat the Spurs in the NBA Cup Final and again by 25 on March 1. Oklahoma City has won six straight against New York.

Both are worthy opponents. Both are capable of winning a title.

And both are far more representative of what awaits a team trying to prove its historic playoff run is about more than favorable circumstances.

The Knicks have spent two rounds crushing opponents that weren’t their equal. The NBA Finals will answer the question that remains.

Are the Knicks simply taking advantage of the path in front of them? Or are they actually the best team in basketball?

Q: Ira, how real is this Orlando threat, now that they’ve hired a coach who worked well with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee? That’s all we’ve been hearing now. – Steve.

A: This what happens when the passive-aggressive gameplan is in play, when neither the Bucks nor Giannis Antetokounmpo are publicly discussing trade parameters. Instead, you get ample connecting of the dots, including the Magic bringing in former Bucks assistant Sean Sweeney as their coach. And, yes, Orlando has prime winter weather, no state income tax and Disney (of which Giannis is said to be a big fan). But it ultimately comes down to more than that. It comes down to whether the Magic are ready to cash out Paolo Banchero for a player eight years older. And with the Magic with limited draft capital because of last year’s trade for Desmond Bane, it comes down to whether the Bucks would entertain a Magic bid with limited draft capital. A case could be made of Paolo being the best player the Bucks could acquire in the Giannis trade (including the age factor), so it comes down to the direction the Bucks choose to chart in a potential Giannis move. But it starts with the Magic, and not their coach, but rather their approach with Paolo.

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• Submit your “Ask Ira” question here!

Q: Hi, Ira. I’ve got a Plan C question for you. Let’s assume the Miami Heat decide to run it back, banking on the expected improvement of their young players. That means another year of Kel’el Ware getting stronger, Kasparas Jakucionis having more experience, Jaime Jaquez Jr. building on his sixth-man candidacy, a resurgence by Nikola Jovic, who can’t possibly be as bad as he showed last season, and maybe the 13th pick. How much more competitive do you think they could be and, conversely, if they keep these young players and the future picks, from an asset situation standpoint, how much more competitive could their packages be for a young, disgruntled, superstar midseason or next summer? – Eddie.

A: Look, in a perfect world, it all could turn out perfectly. But what are the odds of that? Plus, the longer you hold on to developmental projects, the greater the chance that some regress while others progress. Could everything go right? Sure. But, as Jovic showed after getting his extension last summer, plenty can also go wrong. From a “package” standpoint, this appears to be as prime a time for the Heat to make a move as in recent years. The real problem is the lack of tradeable sizable salaries, with Terry Rozier gone, Norman Powell a free agent and Andrew Wiggins controlling his situation with a player option. It is why it likely could have been a simple equation this past February, at that trading deadline. Instead, as they often do, the Heat chose to live in the moment. At the moment, the only large salary the Heat can package would be Tyler Herro’s (assuming the party line stands with Bam Adebayo). And having only one large tradeable salary means the ability to move only in a single direction,

Q: If somehow the Heat are able to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, do you think they will be able to attract complimentary players at a discount as they did when they acquired LeBron James?  – Bob, Davie.

A: For all the questions about the Heat’s roster building when it comes to stars and failed chases, the constants have been creating talent through their developmental pipeline and luring complementary veteran components. The Heat still have most of the same developmental staff, so that shouldn’t change. And the Heat still are located in Miami, with no state income talent, so the luring of complementary components likely shouldn’t change, either.