The San Antonio Spurs forced a Game 7 on Thursday night, stretching the Western Conference series and giving the New York Knicks another reason to watch the board. New York had already swept the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Spurs’ win now means the Knicks are set to face a team coming off a seven-game series for the third series in a row.
That matters because the final playoff series of the 2026 NBA season is set to tip off on June 3rd, and every extra day in the West can shape how much rest the Knicks get before the NBA Finals. The longer the Spurs-Oklahoma City Thunder matchup lasts, the more the East champion can hope for recovery time after a run that already ended with a four-game win over Cleveland.
The timing is sharp for New York because Mitchell Robinson was reported on Thursday to have a broken right pinky finger. The Knicks want as much rest advantage as possible, but an injury note like that complicates the recovery picture even before the opponent is known.
New York’s own path through the East showed why the extra time could matter. The Knicks fell into a 22-point hole in Game 1 against Cleveland before settling into a series that ended in four games, and Landry Shamet later told’s studio crew the team had plans to prevent another slow start. Mikal Bridges also addressed the need to open with intensity after practice on Thursday, a reminder that the Knicks are not just tracking the West for schedule reasons; they are trying to avoid repeating a shaky opening if the Finals arrive with little room to breathe.
For now, the next confirmed date is Game 7 between Oklahoma City and San Antonio. Whoever wins will shape the Knicks’ immediate recovery window, but New York already knows the one thing it can’t control: the Finals start on June 3rd, and Robinson’s hand injury makes the wait a little harder to manage.
