2026 NBA playoffs: Conference finals takeawaysNBA InsidersMultiple AuthorsMay 20, 2026, 11:12 PM ET
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The conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs are here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western matchups.
The No. 3-seeded New York Knicks, who swept the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the East, will face the Cleveland Cavaliers after they went to seven games with the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons.
In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder face off against the San Antonio Spurs as the top two seeds battle it out in a highly anticipated series.
With only four teams one round away from their shot at the Larry O’Brien Trophy, here’s what matters most in both conferences and what to watch in the series.
Jump to a series:
Knicks-Cavaliers
Thunder-Spurs
More coverage:
Schedules and results | Offseason guides
Western Conference
(2) San Antonio Spurs tied with (1) Oklahoma City Thunder, 1-1
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Game 1: Spurs 122, Thunder 115
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Game 2: Thunder 122, Spurs 113
Biggest takeaway from Game 2:
Nobody believed this would be easy for the Spurs, right? The defending champions know how to respond to getting hit with the first punch. After falling in the series opener on their home floor, the Thunder evened the series with a win, displaying the kind of poise that’s formed from experiencing deep playoff runs. It’s the same way they bounced back from Game 1 losses to the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers during last season’s title run. As usual, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way, delivering a 30-point, nine-assist, one-turnover performance. After Game 1, Gilgeous-Alexander took accountability for the loss. “I have to be better, especially against a team of this caliber,” he reported. The MVP followed through, and the West finals is tied up as the teams prepare to travel to San Antonio. — Tim MacMahon
Game 3: Oklahoma City at San Antonio (Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET, NBA/Peacock)
What to watch in Game 3:
Injuries continue to take a toll on San Antonio’s backcourt with rookie guard Dylan Harper becoming the recent casualty due to a right hamstring injury suffered in the third quarter of Game 2. Harper’s setback occurred the same night veteran guard De’Aaron Fox missed his second consecutive outing with a right high ankle sprain sustained in Game 4 of the conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers. The two injuries drastically affect San Antonio’s ballhandling, which in turn leads to an abundance of turnovers that Oklahoma City continues to turn into easy buckets.
Will Fox or Harper or both be back for Game 3 on Friday when the series shifts back to San Antonio? If not, who handles the club’s ballhandling duties?
In Game 1, guard Stephon Castle committed 11 of San Antonio’s 21 turnovers in a win that OKC nearly stole at the end because of its ability to capitalize off San Antonio’s miscues. Through the first three quarters of Game 2, Oklahoma City scored 23 points off 18 Spurs giveaways with seven over that span coming from Castle.
If San Antonio’s backcourt depth isn’t replenished by at least one of its three top guards, expect backup guard Jordan McLaughlin to see more minutes while role players such as Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes take on more ballhandling responsibilities.
San Antonio’s sudden thinness in the backcourt is siphoning off some of Victor Wembanyama’s impact, too, because he needs the guards to distribute to him. Wembayama only received 10 touches in the first half of Game 2, and the Spurs shot 3-of-5 with three turnovers on those plays, according to ESPN Research. — Michael C. Wright
Eastern Conference
(3) New York Knicks lead (4) Cleveland Cavaliers, 1-0
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Game 1: Knicks 115, Cavaliers 104 (OT)
Biggest takeaway from Game 1:
The Knicks completed the largest playoff comeback in franchise history, erasing a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Cavs in overtime and take Game 1. According to ESPN Analytics, the Knicks had a 0.1% win probability when they fell behind by 22 points with 7:52 left in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Brunson led the charge, scoring 17 of his 38 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, and the Knicks turned around a cold shooting night to knock down six of their last nine 3-pointers.
It wasn’t quite the classic that was Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, but the start of the East’s edition delivered an overtime thriller as well, and one that could haunt the Cavs for squandering.
Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson acknowledged that his team, which needed back-to-back seven-game series against the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons to advance to this point, entered the series at a disadvantage because of how rested the Knicks were (New York swept the Philadelphia 76ers in Round 2). He emphasized the importance of Cleveland halting New York’s momentum, as the Knicks were riding a seven-game postseason winning streak entering Tuesday’s game.
And yet, after building a commanding lead, the Cavs fell apart down the stretch in baffling fashion. Donovan Mitchell did not score in overtime. James Harden committed six turnovers and was left on an island repeatedly on defense against Brunson. And the Cavs let their opportunity to steal a game slip away. — Jamal Collier
Game 2: Cleveland at New York (Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What to watch in Game 2:
The Cavaliers played a perfect game for 40 minutes. Unfortunately for them, this game went for 53 minutes, and the road team had no legs for it. Perhaps it was their best chance at winning a road game, with the Knicks having played their last game against Philadelphia on May 10.
Cleveland’s best chance is putting the ball in Mitchell’s hands and letting the chips fall where they may. Harden’s age (36) and history were showing in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers self-destructed. The Knicks hunted Harden on both ends, forcing the ball to him on offense, unafraid of him beating them.
Expect the Knicks to continue feeding Brunson in Game 2, especially if they can’t use Karl-Anthony Towns as the all-around hub he was in the past two series. Going back to Brunson and running everything through him could be the best course of action. And this time, they won’t have to wait until the fourth quarter.
Cleveland won’t be any fresher — emotionally or physically — after this game, and more specifically, this collapse is of historic proportions.
New York should take this opportunity and pounce. The Knicks have shaken off the rust, and their opponent is surely staggered after one game. — Vincent Goodwill
On the Knicks’ fourth-quarter rally:
Monday night’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs was basketball played at its highest level.
The Knicks and Cavaliers didn’t quite clear that bar. But drama? Oh, there was plenty of that.
With 8:19 to go in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night, Mitchell made a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 92-71 lead. At that point, it felt like Cleveland — just 48 hours removed from escaping with a road victory against the Pistons in Game 7 — was going to cruise to an emphatic victory.
That, however, turned out to be the last shot Mitchell would hit for the rest of the game. And it was the only field goal Cleveland would make for more than five minutes, as Brunson finally gave the crowd at The World’s Most Famous Arena something to cheer for.
It was like an avalanche, and the Cavaliers were seemingly powerless to stop it.
There were plenty of culprits. Mitchell missed all five shots he attempted following that score and committed a turnover. Harden was a turnstile repeatedly on defense as New York — after failing to take advantage of his defensive foibles most of the game — relentlessly picked on him late. And when Harden did briefly put Cleveland back in front with a 10-foot jumper with 31.1 seconds remaining, Brunson immediately got the ball back and scored the game-tying basket to force overtime.
Atkinson then threw wildly aggressive double-teams at Brunson, who surgically moved the ball out of them every time — usually to OG Anunoby — to then rip Cleveland’s defense apart in one 4-on-3 situation after another.
Atkinson, inexplicably, refused to call a timeout throughout this entire run — despite having two “use it or lose it” timeouts at his disposal midway through the fourth quarter, and then as the game wound down.
A lot of things have to go right — and wrong — for a game to end on a 44-11 run, which is what the Knicks did between the end of the fourth quarter and overtime.
And although this series is far from over, it’s always difficult to overcome completely giving away a game, particularly when you had a chance to steal a win on the road. If Cleveland does wind up losing this series, this game — like Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers last year — will haunt the franchise and its fans all summer long. — Tim Bontemps
