As an NBA fan abroad with no horse within the race, I’ve by no means been this excited to observe simply plain good crew basketball this 12 months. After watching each the ECF and WCF, it’ll be roughly the identical, because the Cavs, Knicks, Thunder, and Spurs all play good crew basketball.
Now that the finals are set between the Spurs and the Knicks, I had no concept who has the benefit. Primarily based on watching all of the video games and a subjective eye take a look at, the Spurs do appear like the stronger crew. Nonetheless, the New York Knicks are additionally on hearth, having received 11 straight and never misplaced in a month, and look unbeatable. So, I ran the matchup in NBA 2K26 100 occasions to see who wins a seven-game sequence and who has the sting. Right here’s the way it went.
The San Antonio Spurs Received, However It Was Shut
The outcomes had been shut. The San Antonio Spurs received 58 7-game sequence simulations whereas the New York Knicks solely received 42. There have been solely 11 sweeps, with SAS sweeping 8 whereas the NYK solely had 3.
NBA 2K26 simulations usually are not very real looking on the subject of the true recreation, however I did attempt to tweak the settings to make it as real looking as attainable, utilizing All-Star issue (I imagine decrease offensive sliders from Famous person or Corridor of Fame difficulties would give an excessive amount of unrealistic benefit to the SAS).
In these simulations, Victor Wembanyama averaged 31.2 PPG, 13.1 RPG, and 4.8 BPG, which is completely huge and method above his present playoff averages. He does have more durable matchups in opposition to Karl Anthony Cities and Mitchell Robinson in comparison with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein.
The most typical end result was additionally the Spurs profitable in 6 video games (22 occasions). Nonetheless, the matchups are extraordinarily shut, as groups averaged 116.4PPG and 113.1PPG for the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, respectively.
It’s laborious to deal with these simulations as reality, however we are able to get some concepts on how the sequence may probably go. The simulations don’t keep in mind lots of real-life components. I imply, even Mitchell Robinson injured his finger (pinky) exterior of the video games for no matter cause, on the time of writing.
Victor Wembanyama doesn’t alter pictures even remotely shut in NBA 2K26 in comparison with the NBA. Karl Anthony Cities is at the moment averaging 16.9 PPG within the 2025-2026 NBA playoffs however averaged a whopping 24.7 PPG within the simulations. Additionally, contemplating how properly a number of the SAS gamers have been enjoying and their respective NBA 2K participant rankings, it does seem to be the SAS must be even higher in NBA 2K26 if the rankings had been extra updated.
Dylan Harper has been a vital participant, providing extraordinarily environment friendly manufacturing with restricted minutes, with simply an 81 participant score. This was in opposition to one of the best defensive crew within the NBA, the OKC, and anybody watching the video games would inform you that Dylan Harper must be rated method greater than 81.
With the best way the Spurs dealt with Shai-Gilgeous-Alexander, you’ll suppose they might lock down and put the clamps on Brunson even higher. Nonetheless, because the saying goes, everybody is best than Jalen Brunson till it’s able to be higher than Jalen Brunson.
These simulations are simply enjoyable to see, however in the event you ask me, I’m rooting for the New York Knicks, however wouldn’t be disenchanted if the Spurs win all of it this 12 months. For the Knicks fan who feels anxious studying this, I imagine the Cleveland Cavaliers appeared extraordinarily robust this 12 months, and the Knicks simply swept them. It’s laborious to place a ceiling on the New York Knicks proper now, so something can occur, which makes this 12 months’s NBA Finals much more pleasant to observe.
