NEW YORK KNICKS LEAD SAN ANTONIO SPURS 2-1 IN NBA FINALS

The New York Knicks hold a 2-1 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs heading into Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. The Spurs are making their first postseason run in seven years. The series remains ongoing, with neither team having clinched the title.

The Knicks last won an NBA championship in 1973, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in a series that featured Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West. At that time, a gallon of petrol in the United States cost roughly 60 cents, the median home price stood at $30,000, and median rent was $108 a month. The Spurs last won the title in 2014, beating the Miami Heat 4-1 in a series in which LeBron James featured. That year, petrol cost just under $3.70 a gallon, the average home price was approximately $290,000, and rent averaged $934 a month. Victor Wembanyama has been central to San Antonio's current postseason campaign.

By 2026, consumer prices across the United States have risen substantially compared with either of those championship years. A McDonald's Big Mac now costs $6.72, up from $0.55 in 1973 and nearly $4 in 2014. Cinema tickets currently average $16, roughly double the 2014 price and significantly higher than the $1.76 charged in 1973. Game 4 takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York.