The Knicks will see San Antonio again on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. The league did not wait long to put the 2026 Finals rematch back on center stage.
New York closed that series in five games, with Jalen Brunson taking Finals MVP honors. Christmas will bring the Spurs into the Garden with Victor Wembanyama, a national broadcast window and plenty of reason to remember how June ended.
The Knicks have a title to defend. San Antonio has a loss to answer for. That makes this more interesting than the usual holiday game that gets swallowed by the rest of the day.
The schedule is built for attention. New York gets the banner night against Philadelphia in October, a trip to Boston three days later and a Christmas game against the team it beat for the championship.
Brunson will be the obvious name attached to the rematch, but Karl-Anthony Towns has a huge part in it too. His matchup with Wembanyama will be one of the places the game gets decided, especially if San Antonio makes the Knicks work for every clean look near the basket.
Jun. 13, 2026: Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns shoots against San Antonio, credit Geoff Burke-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect.
There will be no mystery about the atmosphere. The Garden will remember the title. The Spurs will remember the loss. Both teams have enough star power to make the game feel like more than a December stop on an 82-game schedule.
I would rather see the Knicks get this game than hide from it. A championship group should want the rematch, particularly at home. It is a chance to prove that last June was not a one-week hot streak and that the Knicks are ready for the version of San Antonio that spent all summer thinking about revenge.
The title celebration was earned. Christmas is where the next argument starts.
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