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!”
Mike Tirico: “There will be a new champion in the NBA! A new era has dawned! It’s Wemby’s West! The Spurs are going to the NBA Finals!” 🏀🎙️ #NBA #NBC pic.twitter.com/QG5tEm8vWs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 31, 2026
“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:
Jamal Crawford: “We have our star. … 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.” pic.twitter.com/wTtQ7JjBYZ
— Sports TV News & Updates (@TVSportsUpdates) May 31, 2026
“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.
Shoutout to @miketirico as his fantastic run concludes tonight in Game 7 covering multiple events with almost no rest since September including:
20 Weeks of @SNFonNBC
Super Bowl 60
15 Nights of Primetime Olympics, 13 Days of Daytime
152nd @KentuckyDerby
33 @NBAonNBC Games pic.twitter.com/JuMzE43EhT— Tyler Wong (@TylerWong65) May 30, 2026
Game 7 concluded NBC’s first season back to televising NBA games after a 23-year hiatus.
.@miketirico signs off from NBC Sports’ final game of its 2025-26 @NBA season! pic.twitter.com/oKkXCIYyIw
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) May 31, 2026
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.