Knicks draw Cavaliers, Thunder to face Spurs in conference finals

The NBA's conference finals bracket is set, with the New York Knicks opening the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday and the Oklahoma City Thunder starting the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. NBA.com listed New York as the home team for Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 in the East, and Oklahoma City as the home team for the same slots in the West. The league's playoff schedule page said the NBA Finals are set to begin June 3 on ABC. ### Which teams advanced, and how did they get here? New York completed a 4-0 semifinal sweep of the Philadelphia 76ers, according to NBA.com's playoff schedule page. The Knicks won Game 4 by a 144-114 score to close the series and moved on as the East's No. 3 seed. Cleveland reached the East finals by beating top-seeded Detroit 125-94 in Game 7 on Sunday night, NBA.com said. (nba.com) The Cavaliers had dropped the first two games of that series before winning four of the next five to take the matchup 4-3. Oklahoma City swept the Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 in the conference semifinals, the league bracket showed. (nba.com) San Antonio advanced by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2, finishing the series with a 139-109 Game 6 win on May 16. ### When do the series start, and where are the openers? Monday, May 18, is the listed date for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, with San Antonio at Oklahoma City at 8:30 p.m. (nba.com) Eastern on NBC and Peacock. Wednesday, May 20, is the listed date for Game 2 in Oklahoma City before the series shifts to San Antonio for Games 3 and 4 on May 22 and May 24. Tuesday, May 19, is the listed date for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, with Cleveland at New York at 8 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. NBA.com listed Game 2 for May 21 at Madison Square Garden before the series moves to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on May 23 and May 25. ### What stands out about Oklahoma City's side of the bracket? (nba.com) Oklahoma City entered the West finals unbeaten in the playoffs after first-round and second-round sweeps, according to NBA.com's bracket page. The Thunder were also coming off another regular-season award for their leading scorer. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player on May 17, the league said. (nba.com) NBA.com said he became the 14th player to win back-to-back MVP awards, one year after taking the 2024-25 trophy. San Antonio arrived with its own headline player. NBA.com listed Victor Wembanyama as the league's 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year, and the Spurs' playoff page said the team closed out Minnesota behind a 32-point, 11-rebound game from Stephon Castle in Game 6. (nba.com) ### What is the East matchup built around? Jalen Brunson and Donovan Mitchell are the leading scorers highlighted on the NBA's East finals page. (nba.com) NBA.com listed Brunson at 27.4 points per game and 6.1 assists per game in the postseason entering the series, while Mitchell was listed at 25.6 points per game. OG Anunoby's health is one subplot for New York. (cdn-uat.nba.com) NBA.com reported on May 15 that Anunoby, who had been dealing with a hamstring issue, fully participated in practice for the second time as he worked toward the East finals. ### What comes next on the calendar? June 3 is the scheduled start of the NBA Finals, with Game 1 set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern on ABC, according to the league's postseason calendar. (nba.com) If either conference finals goes the distance, the West would play a Game 7 on May 30 and the East would play a Game 7 on May 31. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)