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First Playoff Series Between Teams with 62+ Wins Each Since 1998 NBA Finals
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico, Reggie Miller, Jamal Crawford, Zora Stephenson, and Ashley ShahAhmadi to Call Game 1
On-Site NBA Showtime Studio Coverage – featuring host Maria Taylor and analysts Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady – from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City Begins Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET
Mike Tirico Interviews Gilgeous-Alexander for a Conversation with the Back-to-Back MVP, Airing During Pre-Game of Game 1
STAMFORD, Conn. – May 18, 2026 – The battle for the West begins tonight! Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was named NBA Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive season yesterday, and the defending champion and No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder host 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama and the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, exclusively on NBC and Peacock, beginning tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET. Live on-site coverage from Paycom Center in Oklahoma City begins with NBA Showtime at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET.
This will be the first playoff series between two teams with 62 or more regular season wins each since the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz met in the 1998 NBA Finals. The Spurs defeated the Thunder 4-1 this year. The teams last met in the postseason in the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals, where the Thunder won 4-2.
The Thunder come into the Western Conference Finals a perfect 8-0 record through the first two rounds of the postseason, sweeping both the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Oklahoma City looks to become the first team since the Golden State Warriors in 2018-2019 to advance to consecutive NBA Finals – and could become the first team since the Warriors in 2017-2018 to win back-to-back Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander aims to cap off yet another historic season that saw him finish with his second consecutive NBA MVP award and his first NBA Clutch Player of the Year Award. Oklahoma City has also been led by Chet Holmgren, who ranks fourth in the NBA in blocks this postseason (1.8 BPG).
In one of the most stunning turnarounds in recent NBA history, losing 60 games in the 2023-24 season to winning 62 games this season, the Spurs are making their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2017. Wembanyama had a stellar regular season, becoming the youngest player to ever win the Defensive Player of the Year award and the first player to ever win it unanimously. Alongside fellow 2026 NBA All-Star De’Aaron Fox, 2025 NBA Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle, and blossoming rookie star Dylan Harper, San Antonio went 4-1 against Oklahoma City in the regular season.
NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford (analysts), and Zora Stephenson and Ashley ShahAhmadi (courtside reporters) will call Game 1 of Spurs-Thunder.
NBA SHOWTIME
Live on-site coverage of Game 1 tonight begins with NBA Showtime at 7:30 p.m. ET on Peacock before transitioning to NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. ET, hosted by NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor alongside Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady. Anthony played for the Thunder from 2017-2018, while McGrady finished his NBA career with the Spurs in 2013.
MIKE TIRICO-SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER PRE-GAME INTERVIEW
Tonight’s pre-game show will contain an interview between Mike Tirico and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who became only the 14th player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVP awards yesterday.
In the interview, which took place last night, Gilgeous-Alexander says about winning his second consecutive MVP, “Tonight was amazing. All the love was amazing. But I would trade it all for the trophy at the end.”
For a sneak preview, click here.
NBC SPORTS’ 2026 WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS SCHEDULE
| Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Platforms |
| Mon., May 18 | 8:30 p.m. | Game 1: Spurs at Thunder | NBC, Peacock |
| Weds., May 20 | 8:30 p.m. | Game 2: Spurs at Thunder | NBC, Peacock |
| Fri., May 22 | 8:30 p.m. | Game 3: Thunder at Spurs | NBC, Peacock |
| Sun., May 24 | 8 p.m. | Game 4: Thunder at Spurs | NBC, Peacock |
| Tues., May 26 | 8:30 p.m. | Game 5: Spurs at Thunder* | NBC, Peacock |
| Thurs., May 28 | 8:30 p.m. | Game 6: Thunder at Spurs* | NBC, Peacock |
| Sat., May 30 | 8 p.m. | Game 7: Spurs at Thunder* | NBC, Peacock |
*If necessary
All seven games of the Western Conference Finals will be presented exclusively on NBC and Peacock, with on-site NBA Showtime studio coverage at every game as well. This will be the first Western Conference Finals game on NBC since Game 7 on June 2, 2002, that saw Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeat Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and the Sacramento Kings, 112-106. NBC Sports’ Marv Albert, Steve Jones, Bill Walton, and Jim Gray called the game.
MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL
NBC Sports’ Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame NBA Showtime studio analysts Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady and game analyst and three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford will be available for questions on a media conference call tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19 at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT. For more information, click here.
WESTERN CONFERENCE PROMOTIONAL SPOT
Emmy Award-nominated actor Timothy Olyphant stars in a cinematic, Western-inspired promotional open in advance of the Western Conference Finals. “If you can win the West, you can win it all,” Olyphant says as images of the Western Conference’s standout players – including Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama – appear, as well as classic Western imagery of cowboys and desert landscapes.
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NBC Sports’ coverage of the NBA is led by coordinating producer Frank DiGraci and director Pierre Moossa. Sam Flood is Executive Producer & President, NBC Sports Production.
NBA Showtime precedes every NBA playoff game on NBC and Peacock. The coordinating producer of NBA Showtime is Adam Littlefield. NBA Showtime is directed by Jared Sumner.
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ABOUT NBC SPORTS
NBC Sports connects sports fans to the moments that matter most with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. As the sports division of NBCUniversal, NBC Sports produces, programs, and promotes premier content across numerous linear and digital platforms, including NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports presents events from many of the world’s most prestigious properties, including the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the NFL, NBA, WNBA, Major League Baseball, Notre Dame, Big Ten Conference, Big East Conference, Big 12 Conference, PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA of America, The R&A, Churchill Downs, Premier League, and many more. It is renowned for making big events bigger and has produced some of the most-watched sporting events in U.S. media history, including Olympic Games, Super Bowls, and Sunday Night Football, primetime television’s No. 1 show for 14 consecutive years.
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