Led by 22-year-old otherworldly superstar Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs are going to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. San Antonio went on the road and took down the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 of the 2026 Western Conference Finals on Saturday night at Paycom Center. The Spurs will face the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the San Antonio Spurs have done it!\u201d Tirico exclaimed after San Antonio\u2019s Devin Vassell threw down an exclamation dunk.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be a new champion in the NBA!\u201d Tirico continued. \u201cA new era has dawned! It\u2019s Wemby\u2019s West! The Spurs are going to the NBA Finals!\u201d<\/p>\n
Mike Tirico: \u201cThere will be a new champion in the NBA! A new era has dawned! It\u2019s Wemby\u2019s West! The Spurs are going to the NBA Finals!\u201d \ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f #NBA<\/a> #NBC<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QG5tEm8vWs<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThey have arrived,\u201d Tirico added. \u201cAnd you saw the emotion from Victor Wembanyama, as he was looking up into the stands. The San Antonio Spurs go on the road, and in the house of the defending NBA champs, earn a berth in the NBA Finals for the first time in a dozen years.\u201d<\/p>\n After the game, NBC color commentators Jamal Crawford and Reggie Miller showed their appreciation for working with Tirico, just a few days after they informed him of his Emmy award<\/a>. And Crawford offered enormous praise for Tirico:<\/p>\n Jamal Crawford: \u201cWe have our star. \u2026 When you were playing and I was growing up, Mike [Jordan] and Marv [Albert] were synonymous with NBC. Now we have Mike [Tirico] and Vic [Wembanyama] for the next 20 years, synonymous with each other.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/wTtQ7JjBYZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have our star,\u201d Crawford said. \u201cAnd what an honor it\u2019s been to work with you the whole year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cStop it,\u201d Tirico said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo, no. Seriously,\u201d Crawford responded. \u201cCan I say something? Seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Tirico reluctantly said, \u201cSure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you (Miller) were playing, and I was growing up, Mike (Jordan) and Marv (Albert) were synonymous with NBC,\u201d Crawford explained. \u201cNow, we have Mike (Tirico) and Vic (Wembanyama) for the next 20 years, synonymous with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a mind-blowing 2026 for Tirico, the voice of Sunday Night Football and Sunday Night Basketball for NBC. In February, he went right from calling Super Bowl LX to hosting primetime coverage of the Winter Olympics<\/a> for NBC in Milan the next day. He also was praised\u00a0for his monologue to close out NBC\u2019s broadcast<\/a> after the USA men\u2019s hockey team won the gold medal.<\/p>\n Shoutout to @miketirico<\/a> as his fantastic run concludes tonight in Game 7 covering multiple events with almost no rest since September including:<\/p>\n 20 Weeks of @SNFonNBC<\/a> \u2014 Tyler Wong (@TylerWong65) May 30, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Game 7 concluded NBC\u2019s first season back to televising NBA games after a 23-year hiatus.<\/p>\n .@miketirico<\/a> signs off from NBC Sports\u2019 final game of its 2025-26 @NBA<\/a> season! pic.twitter.com\/oKkXCIYyIw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n NBC\u2019s media rights deal with the NBA runs through the 2035-36 season, so there will be much more of Tirico calling big games alongside Miller and Crawford in the years to come.<\/p>\n \t
Super Bowl 60
15 Nights of Primetime Olympics, 13 Days of Daytime
152nd @KentuckyDerby<\/a>
33 @NBAonNBC<\/a> Games pic.twitter.com\/JuMzE43EhT<\/a><\/p>\n