2026 NBA Finals: Knicks have dominated the glass against the Spurs
San Antonio was the top defensive rebounding team in the regular season, but the script flipped in 2 losses to New York.
John Schuhmann Archive
June 3, 2026 12:32 AM
The battle in the paint may have an outsized influence on who wins the NBA Finals.
SAN ANTONIO ā Over their three regular-season meetings, including the NBA Cup final, the New York Knicks scored a remarkably efficient 125.0 points per 100 possessions against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs ranked third in the regular season defensively (110.4 allowed per 100), but that 125.0 per 100 was tied for the Knicksā sixth best mark vs. any opponent. Only the Nuggets scored more efficiently against San Antonio.
Interestingly, the Knicksā best shooting game of the three was their two-point loss in San Antonio on Dec. 31. And in their two wins, the Knicksā effective field-goal percentage was a little below the league average. But the Knicks still scored efficiently in the two wins, mostly because of the possession-game factors on that end of the floor: In the Cup final, the Knicks turned 23 offensive rebounds into 32 second-chance points. In their March 1 victory in New York, they had 18 offensive boards and 23 second-chance points. Over the three games, the Knicks committed just 35 total turnovers (11.8 per 100 possessions).
The Spurs are not a team that forces a lot of turnovers. Their guards will pressure the ball, but theyāre relatively conservative with their pick-and-roll coverage. They ranked 28th in opponent turnover rate (12.8 per 100 possessions) in the regular season and are 10th in the playoffs (13.8 per 100). But they were the No. 1 defensive rebounding team in the regular season, and they got absolutely destroyed on the defensive glass in those two losses to the Knicks. So expect that to be a big point of emphasis in the Finals, starting with Game 1 on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
1. The Knicksā identity
New York has been the third best offensive rebounding team in the playoffs. It starts with Mitchell Robinson, who has grabbed 18.3% of available offensive rebounds while heās been on the floor, the highest mark (by a healthy margin) among 146 players whoāve averaged at least 10 minutes per game in the playoffs. But Karl-Anthony Towns (9.4%, 15th) has also been aggressive on the glass. And the other Knick with more than 15 offensive boards is reserve guard Jordan Clarkson, who has 16 in 165 minutes. Josh Hart is also relentless in his pursuit of the ball, while OG Anunoby (six) and Mikal Bridges (five) totaled 11 offensive boards over those three games against the Spurs this season.
āThatās just our identity,ā Clarkson said of his teamās offensive rebounding prowess and his role in creating second chances. āOne through 15, I think weāre all trying to impact the game in any way.ā
2. Big vs. small
A big reason why the Knicks had so many offensive rebounds against the Spurs is that their bigs were often matched up with smaller Spurs. In the March meeting, the two guys who guarded Towns the most were Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell. That allowed Victor Wembanyama (assigned to Josh Hart) to play a one-man zone, while also enabling the Spurs to switch ball-screens that Towns set. But it obviously created problems on the glass: The Spurs may still prefer to have Wembanyama (not) guarding Hart. Priority No. 1 is keeping the leagueās best rim protector near the rim. But they donāt have a great option (like a stronger power forward) against Towns. And that could be an issue, both in the post and on the glass.
3. Robinson is a problem
With Robinson on the floor, the Spurs have gone back to more traditional matchups, with Wembanyama guarding the Knicksā back-up center. That alleviates the big-vs.-small problem, but it doesnāt make the Knicks a worse offensive rebounding team. Robinson (43.3) has set almost twice as many ball-screens per 100 possessions for Jalen Brunson than Towns has (24.3). And unlike Towns, Robinson is always rolling to the rim after setting a screen. That allows him to catch lobs or ā¦ get behind his defender into rebounding position. And if Robinson has inside position against Wembanyama, itās now a battle of length vs. strength. And sometimes, strength wins: Robinson is listed as questionable for Game 1, having suffered a fractured finger at some point after the Eastern Conference Finals. If he canāt play, that obviously compromises the Knicksā ability to hurt the Spurs on the glass.
John Schuhmann has covered the NBA for more than 20 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Bluesky.
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