Spurs look to Game 1 of NBA Finals Wednesday night
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Victor Wembanyama at NBA Finals media day. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios
The Spurs open Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday night at Frost Bank Center.
Why it matters: The Spurs are back on the NBA's biggest stage three years after drafting Victor Wembanyama, accelerating a rebuild that many expected would take far longer.
The big picture: The matchup offers another major test for first-year head coach Mitch Johnson, who has guided the franchise from the Gregg Popovich era into championship contention.
- Along with Wembanyama, several key Spurs contributors, including Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, are also experiencing the Finals stage for the first time.
The other side: The Knicks, led by Jalen Brunson, are riding a historic 11-game playoff winning streak.
Threat level: The Spurs and Knicks met three times during the regular season. The Spurs won one game and the Knicks won the other two, including the NBA Cup Final in December.
Yes, but: The Spurs are favored to win the series.
Flashback: The last time the Knicks played in the NBA Finals, they lost in five games to San Antonio, led by a second-year center named Tim Duncan.
What they're saying: Here are some of the best takeaways from Johnson, Wembanyama, Castle and Julian Champagnie, at Tuesday's media day.
- Johnson on Popovich's guidance: "The relationship has stayed the same in terms of feedback, discussion, challenging each other, supporting each other, me asking him a lot of questions, him giving me a lot of wisdom."
- Champagnie on playing in New York, his hometown: "I have a lot of friends who are New York fans and I would love to spoil their plans."
- Wembanyama on meeting with Popovich after the Western Conference finals: "The emotions were something I haven't felt in a while."
- Castle on sharpening his defense: "Sometimes it gets in the way of me missing a rotation or me not being in the right spot for my teammate because I'm so locked in on those matchups. That's one thing I need to get better on is the team defense and not just making it about me and another person."
📸 Parting shots to go
