The NBA’s Final Four is here
The Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the basketball world on Sunday with a 31-point road victory in Game 7 to overtake the Detroit Pistons and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. There they will meet the red-hot New York Knicks, who haven’t lost in the playoffs since May.
Subscribe to read this story ad-free
Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.
In the West, the San Antonio Spurs, led by Victor Wembanyama, will face the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in a clash between the league’s two best teams. This series begins tonight and will stream on Peacock.
Plus, our countdown to the World Cup continues with Colombian star Luis Díaz. For more WNBA and World Cup coverage, check out NBC News website.
NBA Conference Finals Preview
After a resounding victory on Sunday for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of their second-round series, the conference finals are now set: the Cavaliers will face the New York Knicks in the East and the San Antonio Spurs will face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. Here’s a quick look at the two matchups.
Let’s start with the Thunder and the Spurs, a titanic clash that begins tonight between the two best teams of the regular season. Let me put this as simply as possible: whether you like the NBA or not, you need to find a way to watch every minute of this series. This is the first time since 1998 that two teams with at least 62 regular season wins have met in the playoffs, and we should expect an incredibly tough battle.
This match features two ascending young stars in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander And Victor Wembanyama (who finished first and third, respectively, in MVP voting), exciting young talent, a legitimate regional rivalry and two stifling defenses. It’s the highest level possible for on-court hoops, with the added bonus of animosity and history off the court to ratchet up the tension.
San Antonio won the regular season series against OKC 4-1, but the Thunder almost never had their full team available. The first game should be a feeling-out process for both sides.
In the East, the dominant Knicks will face Cleveland. New York has won seven straight playoff games and has the best net rating in the playoffs at 20.0. The Knicks should be heavily favored in this series, as the Cavs have worked hard in the playoffs, needing seven games to win in each round.
Cleveland, however, has just produced its most inspiring performance by eliminating Detroit on the road. It will be necessary to defeat the duo of Cities of Karl-Anthony And Jalen Brunsonwho prosper. Brunson is averaging 27.4 points on a career-best 48.5% shooting in the playoffs, while Towns is averaging a career-high 6.6 assists in the playoffs, adding 17.4 points for good measure.
World Cup Countdown
As the 2026 World Cup approaches, we have 26 players to watch. They may be household names or unsung heroes, but they are essential to their team’s success. These are the players you need to know before matches start. Today’s entry is from Colombia Luis Diaz.
The 29-year-old Colombian winger/midfielder is one of the sport’s top scorers, currently lighting up for Bayern Munich, after three years at Liverpool. Diaz is expected to be enthusiastic and aggressive in what will be his first World Cup appearance after Colombia missed the 2022 tournament.
How excited is Diaz about playing in his first World Cup? He scored seven goals in qualifying, second only to Argentina’s Lionel Messi among South American players. Between qualifying, Diaz also helped Colombia reach the 2024 Copa América final, scoring two goals in a tournament in which Los Cafeteros finished second. In just 72 appearances for Colombia, Diaz has already scored 21 goals, which ranks him fourth all-time for the country.
He also has a sense of drama. In Diaz’s first major tournament with Colombia, the 2021 Copa, he scored his first goal via bicycle kick against Brazil. He should also be familiar with American soil, having scored a goal each in two friendlies played in the United States last fall.
Colombia’s best result at the World Cup came in 2014, when the country reached the quarter-finals. He might be able to have his best run yet as Diaz enters the tournament in great shape. Between the Bundesliga and the Champions League, in the 2025-26 season, Diaz scored 22 goals, his career best mark. With an excellent goalscorer in his prime, Colombia could be a major threat as long as Diaz is fully fit.
Friday’s entry was from South Korea Son Heung-min. Read about him here.
What we read
With ICE agents potentially present at World Cup matches, suppliers are weighing the risk of working.
Warrior Trainer Steve Kerr almost left Golden State.
Listen carefully Jamal Crawford new iconic slogan.
The woman who continues to beat men in ultramarathons runs on mashed potatoes.
Jannik sinner completed the “Career Golden Masters” at just 24 years old.
Aaron Rodgers is a Steeler again, officially.
What we watch
Arguably the best matchup that could happen in the NBA will take place tonight, when the Spurs take on the Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. San Antonio is led by superstar Victor Wembanyama, who is averaging 20.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.1 blocks in 10 playoff games. His counterpart, Oklahoma City do-it-all guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has given the Thunder a perfect 8-0 record so far in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, in the NHL, we are treated to a seventh game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabers to determine who will advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Buffalo is coming off a dominant 8-3 victory to push this series to the brink. The winner will face the Carolina Hurricanes.
All times are indicated in the East:
- 7:30 p.m.: No. 2 Buffalo Sabers vs. No. 3 Montreal Canadiens, on ESPN
- 8:30 p.m.: No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs. No. 2 San Antonio Spurs, on NBC/Peacock
- That’s all for now! We will come back on Tuesday.
