Chasing History: 2026 NBA Finals
Witness the defining 5-game clash between the Knicks and Spurs in the NBA Finals, narrated by Jamal Crawford.
The NBA Mailbag is open with NBA legend and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford here to answer your questions during the 2026 NBA offseason.
Have a question for Jamal? Submit it here.
What’s it like waiting to hear your name called during the Draft? – from Ty in Paw Paw, MI
There’s so much anxiety. You hear so many different things; there are so many different mock drafts. There’s a ton of speculation, but nobody truly knows where they will go until right before the pick or when you hear your name called. I didn’t know until I saw the cameras pull up to me right before Cleveland. I was like, “What are they doing? I didn’t even work out for Cleveland.” Then they traded me to Chicago. So you never know what will happen. There’s so, so much anxiety during the day, but also so much happiness as well, because you’re closer to accomplishing a lifelong dream.
I remember at the family breakfast before the Draft, I was wearing all Bulls gear. I had a Bulls cut-off, Bulls shorts. Now looking back at it, I was crazy, because why would I wear Bulls gear if I didn’t know I was going to be drafted by them? Thankfully, Chicago traded for me later that night.
How do players usually welcome a rookie to the team on Draft night? Do they reach out? – from Stacy in Chicago, IL
Yeah, absolutely. I think it’s more popular now to reach out. Nobody reached out to me besides the GM when I was drafted. But our team was really, really young. So they probably didn’t know the etiquette. But I think now, a lot more guys reach out and say, “Hey, let’s get in the gym. Can’t wait to meet you.” That makes it special and feels cool, because these are guys, especially veterans, who you’ve watched for years. So when they reach out, it makes the night even more special.
Who do you think will go No. 1 in the NBA Draft? – from Jayden in Montreal, Quebec
If Washington keeps the pick, I think it’s Dybantsa. It’s just too hard to pass on his size and skill. If it were another team, and they already had other complementary pieces in place but needed a scorer, it would be Peterson. But for the Wizards, I think it’s gonna be Dybantsa.
Are there any players in this Draft class that you’re particularly excited to see join the league? — from Harris in Hartford, CT
Obviously, Dybantsa and Peterson. Beyond them, I’m excited to see Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown, Nate Ament, Cam Boozer, especially after playing against his dad. A lot of the guys in this class I took out to eat at Nike Hoop Summit and got the chance to get to know them off the court. So many really, really cool guys. So seeing them come into the league now, when they were in high school just two years ago, is really crazy for me.
What was the most surprising or impressive aspect of the Knicks’ championship run, in your opinion? – from Zeddie in Atlanta, GA
The most surprising thing was them winning 13 straight games. The most impressive aspect was being down double digits in every game of the Finals and still finding a way to win four of them. That’s crazy. It was an incredible run.
As Jalen Brunson joins the tight list of short guards to win Finals MVP, besides his obvious heart, what would you say sets him apart from other small guards, and what allowed his game to take over in the Finals? – from Kennah in Muskegon, MI
Just his brain. He’s so, so smart and calculated. I think he processes information more quickly than most guards. So whatever you’re doing against him, he makes it the wrong answer. All that, plus he has a refuse-to-lose attitude. There were some games where they were going to be blown out, and he kept them close. Or the game could have gone either way if he doesn’t make a certain shot, and he would make that shot almost every single time.
Which Knicks player do you think performed the best under pressure? – from Vihaan in New Jersey
Captain Clutch. When the games were really in dire straits, when something had to happen, it’s like Brunson put himself somewhere else mentally to be able to come out and make the right adjustments in real time, every time. That’s a rare thing. You know when you’re a kid in the backyard, and you start counting down, like, “five, four, three, two, one.” It was almost as if he put himself in that space mentally to give himself a certain freedom and confidence in those situations.
Check out the best plays and biggest moments from Jalen Brunson’s Finals MVP performance.
What do you think is the biggest reason the Spurs lost the Finals? – from Gideon in San Antonio, TX
Inexperience, but not in the way most people are talking about it. It’s not because they’re just young. For me, experience is gaining a large lead and knowing, “Okay, we don’t have to win the game right now, just win these next three minutes. Now win these next three minutes again.” And keep stacking those together so it’s three-minute games, and you can break up the other team’s run. It’s not about them being young. The inexperience is nobody saying, “Hey, call a time out right now. We just took 10 straight 3s.” With experience, your team finds ways to nip those runs in the bud. And that’s not just on the players. It’s an organizational thing as well. The Spurs are going through it for the first time with this regime.
As a basketball fan, it was so disappointing to watch it slip time and time again. You would rather have a 2-point game the whole time and lose because of inexperience, than double-figure leads every game and lose because of inexperience.
What do the Spurs need to do to be back in the Finals again for 2027? – from JT in New Zealand
I think they need another vet. Somebody who could say the things that need to be said, so it doesn’t always have to come from the coaching staff. A vet who’s been in these battles before and can be like, “Yo, we were up 29, and now it’s 15 going to the fourth. Don’t think about the whole quarter. Just think of the first five minutes.” If they can increase that 15-point lead to 25 with seven minutes left, then the Knicks might pull their starters, and the game is over. But you need veterans to make them think that way. They need to value each possession and value every single trip down the floor.
Which player do you think is going to improve the most from last season? – from Keanu in California
Wemby. And the reason why is because I know what drives him. I know the things that make him go. Now that he has gone on this journey, I have no doubt he’ll continue to get better and better. It may fuel his passion even more. I saw a quote where he was like, “I’m going to work even harder.” And I didn’t think that was possible. So I think his fire is burning even brighter right now, and he will be better because of it.
Do you think this year’s NBA Finals sparked more interest in basketball than usual? Feels like this playoff run in particular has brought in a noticeable increase in new/casual fans. – from VB in New York
I would say so. There’s new characters and some old ones returning, with NBC back in the fold and the Finals logo back on the court. The young stars, like Wemby and SGA, are ushering in a new era, and then New York being great is definitely good for everybody. The whole world loves New York, even if it’s not just basketball. The world loves the city itself. Plus, the series were so good, especially the West Finals and Finals. So I think that all played into fan interest being higher this season and the Finals being the most-watched Finals since 1998.
Who reminds you of yourself from the new 2026 Draft class? – from Aaron in Germany
I’m not sure anybody does, to be honest. As far as similar scoring mentalities, I can see Peterson. He scores in so many different ways and scores so effortlessly. Some people can score, and others have a relationship with the basket. That’s a different level of scorer. No matter the angle, he finds a way to put the ball in the basket. He’s not the greatest ball handler. He can do that stuff, but the way he scores and hits all the different angles is special. There’s stuff you can teach, some stuff you can’t. He has the scoring instincts you can’t teach.
Who do you think the Clippers should select with the 5th pick in the upcoming Draft? – from Diego in Amsterdam
I would say the best available player, regardless of position. But if I had to pick a position, obviously, point guard.
What do you think will happen with LeBron in free agency? – from Luke in Oklahoma
The world is his. He has great options. If he wants to continue the LA partnership, he has his family there, and that means so much to him. If he wants to finally team up with Steph, that would be incredible to watch all season. Or if he wanted to end things how they started and go home to Cleveland, that could be on the table. I’m not saying this is his last year, but it’s getting closer to the end. So I would think those are his three major options, but I have zero idea what he’s thinking.
What improvements do the Pistons need to make to make themselves championship contenders? – from Joaquim in Portugal
I would say getting a reliable, clear-cut Robin to Cade’s Batman. They have guys who do great things and are really good players. But I think if they can add somebody who can consistently score 20 points as a 2nd option, that will make Cade even better and the team better. And it would make them harder to deal with in the playoffs.
What’s your favorite Mike Tirico moment of the season? – from Emmanuel in New York
Oh my gosh. When you’re dealing with somebody like Mike Tirico, he’s all class all the time. I have so many stories. One main thing is when we have discussions at our breakfast meeting or if he talks to a kid while we’re walking somewhere in the morning, he’ll find a way to work those discussions into the broadcast with the name of the person and where he found out all of this information about some storyline. He’ll see what none of us saw, and then he’ll work it into the game later that night. I’ll look at him like he’s Jay Z writing with no pen, like, “Where did this come from?” He does it so often, and I’m always blown away by it. Reggie, other people in the meeting, and I will all see things one way, and he’ll come up with something totally out of left field. He kind of lives in that space of thought, which is really cool. And that’s why he’s the GOAT.
Has an opponent ever asked you to teach them a move after you used it on them during a game? – from Juan in Saudi Arabia
Well, not a particular move, but they’ll say, like, “Yo, we got to get in the gym this summer.” Or, “Yo, can we work out? For sure.” That’s absolutely happened. And, with all the humility in me, I won’t name names.
Seattle has a lot of great young talent in the NBA, and even coming up like Tyran Stokes. How would you compare Seattle’s talent to other big cities now, like LA or New York? – from Zeke in Seattle, WA
Our talent is incredible, and maybe even more so when you look at how small and centered the city is. It’s not like there are a lot of schools. It’s not a huge place. Where Nate Robinson, Dejounte Murray and I went (Rainier Beach), and where Paolo went (O’Dea), and where Tony Wroten, Jaylen Nowell and Brandon Roy went (Garfield), and where Jason Terry went (Franklin) are all within 15 minutes of each other. Isaiah Thomas and Zach LaVine were a little bit further out. But we’re really, really close together. So to see this many pros over these last three decades, when you count Doug Christie and those guys, it’s crazy when you think about the size of the city.
I want to play on the circuit, but I feel like I need to get better with my defense. How do I read where a quick first step is headed and when it’s just a cross or a hesi? – from Amir in Surprise, AZ
The more you can play one-on-one, the better. It will help you on both sides of the ball. It can help your defense, because there’s nobody else you can depend on. You’ll start learning different defensive tricks, physicality, how to cut people off, how to read first moves, etc. Then offensively, at first, you’ll start doing accidental things, like, “Oh, I got past them. I did some dribbling, got to a spot and hit a jumper.” The specifics won’t be planned at first. But the more you do it, the more you’ll start to learn, and then you can apply what you need at the right time. You just have to go through it and play, and then that experience comes in, like, “Oh, this guy was trying to swing me this way, so I attacked his top leg.” Or, “Oh, I saw that if I went really fast, then slow, then sped up again, I can get to a certain spot.” That one-on-one experience and learning process can then be incorporated into your overall game.
What’s your greatest advice for undersized guards who struggle to attack the rim? – from Hugo in Belgium
I would say learn angles and change of pace, and definitely get an in-between game. Thinking like a Tony Parker floater, or the way Jalen Brunson plays off 2 feet into his jump shot. Those guys in particular don’t always go all the way to the rim; they can stop right before the big can affect the shot.