The Spurs open Game 1 of the NBA Finals tonight at the 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 yesterday'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

ABC is the exclusive broadcaster for the Spurs-Knicks series. All games begin at 7:30pm local time.

Here's how to tune into the matchup.

If you have cable: Turn on KSAT, San Antonio's ABC station.

If you don't have cable: You can purchase antennas that plug in to your TV to broadcast ABC.

Stream it: ABC content streams on Hulu+ Live TV and YouTube TV. You can buy a subscription or start a free trial on either service.

Zoom out: The Spurs will continue to host official watch parties at The Rock at La Cantera for each game, and at the Frost Bank Center for away games.

• Attendance is first come, first served.
• For parties at The Rock, RSVP at Spurs.com/Playoffs is encouraged. At the Frost Bank Center, tickets are required but don't guarantee entry. You can join the Spurs Fan Club to be notified when tickets are available.

State of play: Popular viewing bars include The Friendly Spot Ice House in Southtown, Atlee's Rally in St. Paul Square and Hills & Dales Ice House near UT San Antonio.

• Participating Pluckers Wing Bar locations in San Antonio and Austin will also stream the games. Wear your Spurs gear there to get five free wings when you buy an adult dish.

What's next: Game 2 is on Friday at home. Games 3 and 4 are in New York on June 8 and 10.

A teenage Spurs fan died after suffering injuries in a fall from a truck during a post-win celebration on the South Side. (KSAT)

❌ The Spurs revoked some season ticket memberships after identifying NBA Finals tickets listed on unauthorized resale sites.

• Spurs Sports & Entertainment said it aims to keep tickets in fans' hands amid soaring demand and prices. (SA Current)

🐶 Steph Furry, the beloved trickshot-making Corgi who predicts sports, picked Spurs in 7 for the finals.

• She was right about the Western Conference finals. (Instagram)

We are handing the mic over to Asher Price, our Axios Austin co-worker who has a confession that might make San Antonians smile.

👋 Hi, it's Asher! Lately a lot of my old friends have been asking me about my rooting interest in the NBA Finals.

The backstory: I grew up on the Upper West Side of NYC, a diehard Knicks fan.

• My favorite tee, in heavy rotation in junior high, featured the big man Patrick Ewing and a postal-style stamp that said "Return to Sender."
• But just over two decades ago, shortly after grad school, I moved to Austin — when the Knicks were really bad and the Spurs were fantastic.

True story: One of our kids carries the middle name Emmanuel, in honor of Spurs great Manu Ginobili.

The bottom line: I'm sorry to disappoint my 15-year-old self, but the rooting decision will be an easy one — Go Spurs Go.

With the Spurs facing the Knicks again, nostalgia is sweeping Spurs Nation.

Flashback: The Spurs beat the Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals in a nail-biting Game 5 at Madison Square Garden that came down to a tie-breaking jumper by Avery Johnson with 2.1 seconds left on the clock.

• Had the game been played in San Antonio, it would have been at the Alamodome. The SBC Center, which is now the Frost Bank Center, didn't open until October 2002.
• Harrison Barnes had just turned 7 years old and De'Aaron Fox was just over 18 months old. Wembanyama wouldn't be born for five more years.

Tell us: What was your favorite memory of the 1999 win?

• Hit reply and let us know. Your responses could be featured in a future newsletter.