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.
“And the San Antonio Spurs have done it!” Tirico exclaimed after San Antonio’s Devin Vassell threw down an exclamation dunk.
“There will be a new champion in the NBA!” Tirico continued. “A new era has dawned! It’s Wemby’s West! The Spurs are going to the NBA Finals!”
“They have arrived,” Tirico added. “And 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.”
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. And Crawford offered enormous praise for Tirico:
“We have our star,” Crawford said. “And what an honor it’s been to work with you the whole year.”
“Stop it,” Tirico said.
“No, no. Seriously,” Crawford responded. “Can I say something? Seriously.”
Tirico reluctantly said, “Sure.”
“When you (Miller) were playing, and I was growing up, Mike (Jordan) and Marv (Albert) were synonymous with NBC,” Crawford explained. “Now, we have Mike (Tirico) and Vic (Wembanyama) for the next 20 years, synonymous with each other.”
It’s 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 for NBC in Milan the next day. He also was praised for his monologue to close out NBC’s broadcast after the USA men’s hockey team won the gold medal.
Game 7 concluded NBC’s first season back to televising NBA games after a 23-year hiatus.
NBC’s 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.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.