While the New York Knicks rest up, having clinched their first appearance in the NBA Finals since 1999, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs will head to a pivotal Game 6 (8:30 p.m. ET, NBC), having traded blows for five games.
The defending champion Thunder took a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference finals with a decisive Game 5 win that saw OKC's role players step up again in the absence of Jalen Williams and Ajay Mitchell. Now back at home, the Spurs will look to strike back and even the series, looking for a better performance from All-NBA center Victor Wembanyama, who struggled in Game 5.
History is on the Thunder's side. This was the seventh time they've won a Game 5 in a series that was tied 2-2, and in all six previous instances they went on to win the series. On the flip side, this was the 10th time the Spurs have lost Game 5 in a 2-2 series, and they've only come back to win the series once in the previous nine instances (the 2008 conference semifinals against the New Orleans Hornets).
Our NBA insiders take a look at what you need to know ahead of this epic showdown.
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What do the Thunder need to do to win this series in Game 6?
Can Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deliver a closing performance the way he did in the previous two series?
The Spurs have succeeded in containing the back-to-back MVP. He has averaged 26.2 points while shooting 38.8% from the field in the five games as the Spurs have rotated an arsenal of primary defenders and used a variety of aggressive schemes designed to slow him. He shot worse than 50% from the field in three consecutive games for the first time all season.