Party Like It’s 1999: Knicks Vs. Spurs Have Fans Reminiscing

Written by Chloe Becker

February’s Super Bowl was considered one of the most unlikely matchups in recent sports history, as it featured two big early-season underdogs in the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. The 2026 NBA Finals doesn’t quite have that complete underdog backstory, but the matchup between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs still wasn’t on many prediction lists at the start of the season.

The upshot is that fans and media outlets are suddenly looking for a reference point to a series that few predicted, and they have naturally landed on the NBA Finals in 1999, which was the last time – rather famously now – the Knicks made the Finals. And as it happens, that was against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs are favorites to win the NBA Championship 

The Spurs are marginal favorites to win, as they did in 1999, with DraftKings Sportsbook putting the current NBA odds at -205, with the Knicks at +170. A lot can happen to change that consensus, though, especially in a postseason where we have already seen plenty of surprises, not least the defeat of the betting favorites and champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the Western Conference Finals by the Spurs.

Away from the action, though, the prospect of the rematch from 1999 has got fans reminiscing and philosophizing on social media over how the world has changed since then. There is, of course, the usual chatter about the zeitgeist of the world of today – Donald Trump, ubiquitous smartphones, social media itself, for example – but there are also interesting discussions about socio-economic changes.

For example, people have been talking about the difference in ticket prices. Yes, inflation has bitten over the past few years, but premium sports events have become hyper-inflated, especially since the advent of resale platforms.

While some tickets for Madison Square Garden and the Frost Bank Center will go to season ticket holders, you’re almost certain to pay a few thousand dollars on resale sites. The going rate was $86 for MSG in 1999, and you could get courtside seats for just over $2,000.

Tim Duncan was the star of the show in 1999

There’s also a bit of reminiscing over Tim Duncan, the legendary Spurs’ big man. Duncan, who would have an almost two-decade career in San Antonio, won the Finals MVP in 1999, which was just one of many accolades in his incredible career, but it was his big breakout moment in the NBA. Spurs fans are hoping there are parallels with their current 7-foot-plus superstar, Victor Wembanyama, who has taken the NBA Playoffs by the scruff of the neck.

New York arguably does not have the same level of interest in any of its players, with the exception of Jalen Brunson, but that feels by design. It is a cohesive, hard-working team that isn’t betting on star power. Brunson takes a lot of the responsibility, and he has been having an MVP-worthy season, but he does not have the kind of franchise-holding pressure as Patrick Ewing did in 1999.

The 1999 NBA Finals were not that close, as Duncan and company – despite slipping up in Game 3 – never really looked like they would let their grip on the championship become unglued. So, even if fans are lamenting the cost of tickets and the other changes since the turn of the millennium, they’ll be hoping for a more competitive series in this mesmerizing matchup that has been 27 years in the making.