The storylines and matchups that will define the 2...
Key takeaways
- All right, NBA fans: Turn on "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," press play on "Livin' La Vida Loca" and prepare your computer servers for Y2K.
- The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will tip off a 1999 Finals rematch Wednesday (8:30 p.m.
- The NBA has evolved by leaps and bounds since 1999, which was an especially strange season because of a condensed schedule after a lockout.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
All right, NBA fans: Turn on "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace," press play on "Livin' La Vida Loca" and prepare your computer servers for Y2K. It's going to feel like 1999 all over again.
The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will tip off a 1999 Finals rematch Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET on ABC), and the winner will become the eighth unique champion in the past eight seasons.
The NBA has evolved by leaps and bounds since 1999, which was an especially strange season because of a condensed schedule after a lockout. That year's Finals didn't tip off until June 16 -- the same day that Game 6 is scheduled for this year. The average final score in the 1999 Finals was Spurs 85, Knicks 80 (by comparison, the Knicks have scored more than 80 points in the first half of two playoff games this spring). The two teams combined to make 6.4 3-pointers per game -- just slightly more than Julian Champagnie made by himself in the Spurs' Game 7 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.