Spurs, Knicks, Cavs, Thunder make NBA history that has never happened before originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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There are a lot of reasons to be happy for being alive in this lifetime. The 2026 NBA Playoffs is one of them. This conference finals lineup featuring the San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Oklahoma City Thunder has surely not disappointed. In fact, these four franchise just had a historic feat that has never happened before in league history.
NBA Playoffs featuring Spurs, Knicks, Cavs, Thunder break league history
For the first time ever in NBA Playoffs history, both the Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals went to overtime in Game 1, per Sporting News. Throughout the countless dynasties that have gone up against each other in the 79 years of the NBA’s existence, this is the first time that it has happened.
It all started when the Spurs led by Victor Wembanyama went to the Thunder’s home court where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. awaited them. The Spurs rallied behind Wembanyama, despite not having De’Aaron Fox, to tie the game up before regulation ended. The Thunder started fighting back in the first overtime and caught up with the Spurs. When the double overtime rolled around, the Spurs did not let go of the lead anymore. They secured the massive 122-115 win over the Thunder.
On the other side of the NBA Playoffs, the Cavs looked well early on against the Knicks. Donovan Mitchell had the hot hand and toyed with the Knicks defense for a while. This led them to leading as much as 22 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It looked like the Spurs were not going to be the only lower seed to win the first games of their series. Then, disaster struck. Jalen Brunson led a comeback after being down 22 points to send the game to overtime. By the end of the 115-104 onslaught of the Knicks, they achieved a feat that has only happened four out of 751 times in league history.
The Spurs, Knicks, Cavs, and Thunder have all delivered in giving fans a historic NBA Playoffs so far. Will all four teams push each other to their limit and go the distance of seven games?
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