MLB

SD 4 PHI 6
CLE 1 NYY 2
SF 12 MIL 9
PIT 5 HOU 1
LAD 2 ARI 3

NHL

VEG 3 CAR 4

Soccer

USM 2 VS Aknoun 2
Reipas 1 VS PEPO 2
Hassleholms 2 VS Laholms 1
Karlbergs 2 VS Eskilstuna 3
Stockholm 1 VS Stocksund 0
FUS 0 VS Hassania 0

2026 NBA playoffs: Conference finals takeaways

The conference finals of the 2026 NBA playoffs are here, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game of the Eastern and Western matchups.

The No. 3-seeded New York Knicks defeated the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in a four-game sweep to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

In the West, the San Antonio Spurs ousted the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games in a matchup of the top two seeds.

Here's what matters most in both conferences and what to watch in the series.

Biggest takeaway from the Spurs' win: Victor Wembanyama has sped up the clock.

In only his third NBA season, he just led a come-from-behind conference finals elimination of the 64-win defending champs, advancing to the NBA Finals five months after his 22nd birthday.

The Spurs won this series because of his Game 1 heroics -- a 41-point, 24-rebound masterpiece complete with a 28-foot signature 3 to force overtime -- and a collective Game 6 and 7 closing statement. Wembanyama is the face of a stunningly advanced young core that just disrupted what many believed was an Oklahoma City Thunder dynasty in the making, which is sure to spark conversation about whether San Antonio is about to begin one of its own.

Dylan Harper, the 20-year-old rookie guard, was excellent in Games 1 and 6 and made some massive plays late in Game 7. Stephon Castle, the third-year guard, has taken a star turn in these playoffs. Then there's Wembanyama, who finished third in MVP voting in his third season, let the world know of his displeasure that he didn't win the award and then just outdueled Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the back-to-back MVP, in what might have been the NBA's best playoff series this decade.

Biggest takeaway from the Thunder's loss: The Thunder signed their three stars to maximum contract extensions days before their championship parade last summer, securing the foundation of a potential dynasty. Now, the Thunder enter a summer of uncertainty after being eliminated by the Spurs, a rival with a younger and, in this series at least, better star trio.

Back-to-back MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke out of his worst shooting funk since emerging as a superstar in Game 7, giving the injury-depleted Thunder a chance with his 35 points and nine assists. He got no help from Oklahoma City's other stars.

As was the case far too often during his injury-marred season, Jalen Williams watched from the bench in street clothes. He played only 10 ineffective minutes in the final five games of the series after aggravating a left hamstring strain early in Game 2.

Chet Holmgren played 33 minutes, but he was invisible for most of them. He attempted only two shots from the floor, finishing with four points and four rebounds. He wasn't a factor for most of the series after excelling in the first two rounds.

The question now: How much is Oklahoma City governor Clay Bennett willing to pay to keep together this team? Luguentz Dort, Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams all have team options for next season, when a massive luxury tax bill looms.

Biggest takeaways from Game 4: Donovan Mitchell lamented after Game 3 that the Cavaliers blew a 22-point lead in the first game of the series and it had changed the tenor of the Eastern Conference finals. The Cavs never recovered from that collapse, and their season ended with four straight double-digit defeats, including a thumping in Game 4.

Cleveland actually began Monday's game by scoring the first five points and jumping out to an 8-2 lead. Mitchell tried to do all he could to extend the Cavs' season, scoring 12 of his 31 points in the first quarter, and Evan Mobley showed up as his running mate. But the Knicks' offense was relentless, and the Cavs couldn't do anything to slow down New York. By the middle of the second quarter, the game started to get out of hand.

Perhaps the Cavs were fatigued from a grueling gauntlet across the first two rounds -- each a seven-game series -- and without consecutive rest days for the final 3½ weeks. But the Cavs also were overmatched by a more talented team. This summer will be full of questions for an organization searching for a way to get over the hump of playoff disappointments.