What Google Trends Tells Us About the 2026 Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals

The 1999 NBA Finals was legendary. I was younger, but the nostalgia of seeing these two squads go head-to-head back then still hits hard. Fast forward to 2026, and the basketball world is witnessing a historic rematch that nobody saw coming. And let's be honest — if you're not hyped for this Knicks vs. Spurs NBA Finals, you might want to check your pulse.

I'm always looking at the data under the hood. When Google released its latest Search trends for the 2026 Finals, I had to dive in. What I found was a fascinating intersection of pure fan hysteria and deep '90s nostalgia.

Let’s start with the sheer scale of the interest.

According to the data, searches for the NBA Finals, the New York Knicks, and the San Antonio Spurs are at an all-time high worldwide. In the U.S., Knicks vs. Spurs has been the top trending query over the past week.

But here's the kicker: the metros of San Antonio and New York City are so hyper-focused on this series that they're searching for their respective teams more than they're searching for the weather. If you know anything about Search patterns, the weather is one of the most consistently searched topics on Google. That is a massive data signal.

As the official Google Keyword post explains:

"And both San Antonio and New York City metros are searching for their respective teams more than they're searching for the weather, which is one of the most consistently searched topics on Google." (See the top Google Trends searches for the 2026 NBA Finals)

Geographically, support is heavily regionalized but spreading:

• Texas is (not surprisingly) the top state searching for the Spurs, followed by Oklahoma, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New Mexico.
• New York leads for Knicks-related queries, with New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, and D.C. rounding out the top five.

It's clear that the East Coast and the South are fully locked in.

The series is brimming with talent, but there’s one player who is catching the world's eye at a planetary scale: Victor Wembanyama. Search interest in Wemby has reached an all-time high in his career, both in the U.S. and globally.

Looking at the search data since the playoffs kicked off on April 18, we can see two completely different team building strategies reflected in what fans are searching:

1. San Antonio Spurs: The top searched players are a mix of fresh faces and established vets — Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle, Julian Champagnie, and De'Aaron Fox.
2. New York Knicks: The top searched players are dominated by the 'Nova Knicks — Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Mitchell Robinson.

There's also some interesting lateral movement in the data. Search interest in Spurs-turned-Knicks player Jeremy Sochan has spiked 250% over the last week. And the family ties are real too: Jalen Brunson’s dad, Rick Brunson, is trending with a breakout query for "Rick Brunson 1999 finals". People are literally using Google to trace the family legacy back to the last time these teams met.

We're Going Back to the '90s

Because the last time these two teams faced off in the Finals was 1999, fans are using Search like a digital time machine.

Here are some of the breakout '90s-related NBA questions from the past week in the U.S.:

"Who made NBA jerseys in the 90s"

"Who had a 40 inch vert in the 1990s NBA"

"Who was the last NBA player from the 90s"

"Good big men in the 90s who could shoot"

"Who dominated the NBA in the 90s"

But it's just not about the historical trivia. Nostalgia is translating directly into physical style.

As Google reports:

"Vintage apparel is also having a massive moment. Searches for "vintage jersey" recently reached an all-time high, and there have also been breakout searches for "1999 NBA finals shirt," "Knicks 1999 finals shirt" and "1999 NBA finals hat" over the past week."

As someone who loves retro style and classic designs, I'm not surprised at all. Vintage jerseys and '90s fits represent an era of grit and style that today's fans are eager to claim as their own.

At the end of the day, Google's Trends data shows us that sports and technology are deeply intertwined. I love how data can map the emotional landscape of millions of fans in real-time. This isn't just about who wins the Larry O'Brien trophy; it's about how a single sporting event can ignite a wave of cultural nostalgia, bridging a 27-year gap in the blink of an eye.

Whether you're rocking a vintage 1999 Champion jersey or tracking every game on your Pixel, this Finals is one for the history books.

Go Knicks!