O San Antonio Spurs enters as a broad favorite to win the title of NBAbut anyone who believes in a calm series may be ignoring an important detail: the New York Knicks defeated the Spurs in the NBA Cup final, in December, and reached the Finals in great form.
In that decision played in Las Vegas, the Knicks dominated the last quarter and won 124 to 113. The defeat is still fresh in the memory of some San Antonio players on the eve of Game 1, this Wednesday (3).
“It was a difficult defeat. We wanted to win, because as competitors we want to win every game”, said the point guard Stephon Castle.
Recent retrospect also favors New York. The Knicks have won eight of the last 12 meetings between the teams, including two of the three games played this season.
Even so, the .
On the other side, the Knicks are experiencing one of the best moments in their recent history. The team has 11 consecutive victories in the playoffs and .
Despite the impressive campaign, many analysts still consider the Knicks to have little chance against the French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.
“We were discredited many times. There was always a lot of noise coming from outside, but we went back to the gym and continued working. We cannot be satisfied just by being here”, said the point guard and main New York star, Jalen Brunson.
New York is looking to end a long drought. The franchise is competing in its first final since 1999, precisely when it was defeated by Spurs in five matches. The team’s last title came in 1973.
Interestingly, in that 1999 team there was a Brunson in the squad: Rick BrunsonJalen’s father and currently an assistant coach for the Knicks.
“It’s something surreal. I haven’t stopped to think about it much yet. Maybe when the season or my career ends I’ll reflect better on all of this”, commented Jalen.
The current campaign marks a rapid rise under the command of Mike Brownhired after the departure of Tom Thibodeau at the end of last season.
“Making the Finals is not easy. When you overcome difficult moments throughout the season, you put yourself in a position to compete when it really counts,” said Brown.
Spurs are now experiencing the first years of the so-called “Wembanyama Era”. The franchise returns to the Finals for the first time since the 2014 title, the fifth in its history. In the playoffs, Wembanyama averages 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in 17 games.
The Frenchman, however, preached caution after the exciting classification over the Thunder.
“We haven’t finished the work yet. We need to return to reality and understand that the hardest part is yet to come,” he said.
In the medical report, the Knicks monitor the pivot’s situation Mitchell Robinsonwho suffered a fracture in the little finger on his right hand and is doubtful for the match. In the victory over the Spurs in the NBA Cup, Robinson had a great performance with 15 rebounds in just 18 minutes.
For Spurs, the point guard continues to recover from an injury to his right ankle. According to the technician Mitch Johnsonthe player is showing progress and has been moving better after acting far from ideal physical condition in the series against the Thunder.
