Peter Sblendorio: Thunder-Spurs slugfest is playing out perfectly for the Knicks

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on May 25, 2026

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Throughout these NBA playoffs, the Knicks have answered the “Rest vs. Rust” debate rather emphatically.

Buoyed by three days off before the start of their second-round series, the Knicks pounded the beleaguered Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1, then kept punching en route to a low-stress sweep.

The Knicks then enjoyed eight full days off before the Eastern Conference finals, and while they did come out rusty to begin Game 1, their fresh legs served them well during a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback and overtime victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Similarly, the Knicks were the superior second-half team in their Game 2 and 3 wins over the Cavs.

“We need to get our legs under us, quite honestly,” Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said after Game 2. “We know their rest advantage.”

Before facing the Knicks, the Sixers and Cavaliers were both barely removed from seven-game series that seemed to drain them, physically and emotionally.

The Knicks must be loving, then, what they’re watching in the Western Conference Finals.

With a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are duking it out in a full-blown slugfest — a best-of-seven series that’s turning into a war of attrition.

It’s now tied, 2-2, after Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs defeated the defending NBA champions, 103-82, in Game 4 on Sunday night.

“We had never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama said after totaling 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks in Game 4.

“It was our first deficit in a playoff series, and we just responded. It was nothing amazing. It wasn’t magic. We just did what we needed to do, and the series is far from over.”

Indeed, the Western Conference Finals is now guaranteed to last at least six games and cannot be decided until Thursday at the earliest. Game 5 is set for Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.

Long series tend to have a carry-over effect, as evidenced by the flat performances and underwhelming finishes by the Sixers and Cavs, which the Knicks have taken advantage of.

“[Playing fewer] minutes helps,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said after Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals.

“I think at one point, they played 50 percent more minutes — or we played half the minutes or something — than the Cavs did. When you do that, obviously you’re at an advantage and you’re able to play faster and do those kinds of things. Obviously, it’s helped.”

Those kinds of advantages could also go a long way in an NBA Finals where the Knicks would be considered underdogs against either the top-seeded Thunder or second-seeded Spurs, both of whom won at least 60 games in the regular season.

The NBA builds in extra time off between the conference finals and the NBA Finals, so even if Thunder-Spurs goes to seven games, the winner would get three full days off before Game 1 on June 3.

OKC and San Antonio boast enviable depth, too, but that has been tested as both teams navigate injuries.

Spurs point guard De’Aaron Fox sat out of Games 1 and 2 with an ankle injury and has suffered a dip in production since returning, clearly still dealing with the issue.

San Antonio rookie Dylan Harper (right adductor) missed the end of Game 2, and while the standout guard played in Games 3 and 4, he totaled only 13 points on 4-of-11 shooting in them.

And on the other side, Jalen Williams (hamstring) and Ajay Mitchell (calf) — two of the Thunder’s top scorers and ball-handlers — missed the Game 4 loss due to injury.

The Thunder are not the same team without those two, and especially without Williams, who has played in only four of a possible 12 games this postseason.

Without them in Game 4, the Thunder had their worst offensive performance of the playoffs — by far.

“I think it’s just a snowball effect. When you come out with the right energy, things like that work out, and the offense has flow,” said Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back reigning NBA MVP.

“I don’t think we came out with the right energy [in Game 4], and it just trickled down. We were stagnant on both ends. They were the aggressor. They were forcing turnovers. It’s easy to blame the offense, but to me, it always starts with the energy and effort you put forth.”

If nothing else, the Spurs are proving the Thunder aren’t invincible. But beating them over a seven-game gauntlet would take a heavy toll.

Wembanyama is playing 39.0 minutes per game in the Western Conference finals, up significantly from the 29.2 he averaged in the regular season or the 29.0 he averaged over the first two rounds of the playoffs.

It might require even more to dethrone the Thunder.

“It’s a fact that the series is 2-2, and basically 0-0, and it’s first to two [wins] now,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s not at the front of our minds, but it is a fact, and it’s the reality of where we are.”