CBS model favors Knicks in futures

CBS Sports published a betting-model preview on Tuesday that said the New York Knicks still offer value in NBA Finals futures ahead of Game 1 against the San Antonio Spurs. The piece, written by Gene Menez, said the SportsLine Projection Model continued to favor New York as a wager even with San Antonio holding home-court advantage and building the series around Victor Wembanyama. The article was posted June 2, one day before the finals begin. The series opens Wednesday night in San Antonio. ### What exactly did CBS say about the Knicks? CBS Sports said on June 2 that its SportsLine Projection Model still sees the Knicks as the better futures bet in the 2026 NBA Finals. The article said the model “has been right about New York the entire postseason” and is backing “Jalen Brunson & Co. again” in the championship round. Gene Menez wrote that San Antonio brings the series’ clearest individual advantage in Wembanyama, while the Spurs also have home court. Even so, the CBS piece said the model still identified New York as the side offering betting value in the futures market. ### Why is that notable with Victor Wembanyama on the other side? Victor Wembanyama enters the series as San Antonio’s central matchup problem, and preview coverage elsewhere has framed the finals around his two-way impact against a Knicks core led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. ESPN’s finals preview said one of the defining questions is whether New York can slow Wembanyama without losing its own offensive identity. San Antonio also opens the series at home. NBA.com said Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals is set for Wednesday, June 3, with San Antonio hosting the opener at 8:30 p.m. ET. ### What is the case for New York in this matchup? The Knicks arrive in the finals on their deepest postseason run since 1999. NBA.com said New York is facing San Antonio in a finals rematch of that 1999 series, while broader preview coverage has centered on Brunson’s shot creation and Towns’ frontcourt role against the Spurs’ length. (tsn.ca) (nba.com) CBS did not present the Knicks as the more star-driven team. Instead, its article framed the wager around pricing and value, arguing that the market had not fully caught up with New York even after the model had supported the team earlier in the playoffs. (nba.com) ### Is this a prediction that the Knicks are better than the Spurs? CBS Sports framed the pick as a value play, not simply a declaration that New York is the superior roster. The distinction matters in futures betting because a model can rate one team as the more attractive bet if the odds imply lower chances than the model projects. (cbssports.com) The Spurs still enter with several conventional advantages. CBS’s own finals schedule page said San Antonio and New York are meeting in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals, and the opener will be played in Texas because the Spurs hold home court. ### When do readers get the first test of the model? Game 1 is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3, at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. (cbssports.com) NBA.com listed the opener for 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with Game 2 set for Friday, June 5, before the series shifts to New York for Game 3 on June 8. CBS’s model call will get its first on-court test when Brunson, Towns and the Knicks open the series against Wembanyama and the Spurs on Wednesday night. (cbssports.com 1) (cbssports.com 2) (nba.com)