There was a time not that long ago that a lot of people were pretty skeptical about the NBA Cup. With the Knicks set to take on the Spurs tonight for the title though, there’s a lot of excitement in the air, especially after San Antonio knocked off the Thunder on Saturday night to book their spot.
This is a game that could go either way. Both teams come in with matching 18-7 records, good enough for second in the East for the Knicks and tied for third in the West for the Spurs. Jalen Brunson is at the top of his game, while Victor Wembanyama made his presence known when he returned from a month-long absence against OKC.
Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett broke down the matchup on the latest episode of KG Certified. Though Pierce has already picked the Knicks to reach the NBA Finals and said he likes the way they’re sharing the ball, he believes the Spurs will find a way to join the Lakers and Bucks as NBA Cup champions.
“The only thing I’m concerned is about [the Spurs’] experience,” he said. “I do think they’ll beat the Knicks in the Cup finals.”
“I like the Knicks, but I think San Antonio is coached well to be such a young team. I love what [De’Aaron] Fox is giving them. Earlier in the year I was like, ‘Trade Fox.’ I would not trade Fox. He gives them a veteran presence at the guard,” the former NBA champion added.
The Spurs went 9-3 while Wemby was out, and that impressed both Pierce and Garnett. With young studs like Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, they both think that with a bit more experience, they can be extremely dangerous. Garnett used a perfect analogy to describe it.
“I love what this team can be,” he said, explaining, “It’s cornbread, you feel me? It’s a little soft, you gotta let it stay in there a little longer, you know what I’m talking about? So I wanna see this golden up a little bit, harden up and see it. Lord, I can’t wait. Man, I can’t wait to see what these young Spurs look like, you feel me? ‘Cause they got potential.”
Having a destructive force like Wemby on the floor makes the Spurs difficult to match up with for any team, and Pierce believes that he’ll carry them tonight.
“I’m waiting to see how San Antonio matures over the course of this season before I say they’re a contender right now, but I got San Antonio winning this championship game. I got Wemby winning the MVP and making a statement,” he proclaimed.
We’ll find out if Pierce is right tonight at 8:30 ET. Fans can watch the game on Amazon Prime.
