The New York Knicks are preparing for a tough test from San Antonio as the NBA Finals tip off Wednesday, with the Spurs looking to settle the score after their loss in the NBA Cup.
Both teams kept things steady during Tuesday’s media day, staying focused on the best-of-seven championship series.
"Really well-coached team, really talented team. You can tell how together they are, which is very dope,” Knicks forward Mikal Bridges said of the Spurs.
"They’re ready to go out there and fight. They’re going to battle. Not soft at all. They’re going to compete at a high level. I feel like we do the same. Just excited.”
New York, which is chasing its first NBA championship since 1973, beat San Antonio 124-113 in Las Vegas to win the NBA Cup in December. The teams also split their regular-season meetings, each winning on its home court.
"The Knicks have played us really well this year. We went into their house and they beat us. They beat us in the in-season tournament,” San Antonio’s Devin Vassell said.
"We feel like we’ve got to get some get-back because they’ve been successful against us.
"We didn’t get here to say we’re Western Conference finals champions. We want to sit here and say we’re NBA champions. It was great while it lasted, but we’re ready for the next chapter.”
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama said the team was still processing its Western Conference finals win over Oklahoma City, while guard Stephon Castle said San Antonio is focused on the task ahead.
"It was a feel-good win for us. It’s hard to flush that out of the back of your mind,” Castle said.
"We understand we can’t get complacent or satisfied with that. We still have a job. Come game time, we’ll be ready.”
Knicks guard Josh Hart said New York has been building toward this moment since the start of the season.
"The attention to detail and approach is really the same because I think we truly believe we’ve been building championship habits since October,” Hart said.
"You really double down on those habits. This is like a zoo going on right now with all the media and all this stuff. But we’re just focused on the task at hand and ready to get started.”
Vassell said the Spurs see it the same way.
"We’re just trying to block out all the noise,” Vassell said. "There’s nothing more for us to say or talk about. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing. That has been successful.”
San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson, who won NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors, said adjusting to a reserve role required an ego check.
"I would say ego. Just being the guy and then you having to adjust,” he said. "Winning has been the ultimate reward. It just shows that everything was worth it. I went from being ‘the guy’ to coming off the bench and being sixth man.
"Being able to win and contribute to us winning means more than anything I’ve done in the past.”
San Antonio’s Julian Champagnie, a Brooklyn native, said playing at Madison Square Garden in the Finals carries extra meaning.
"Means a lot to play in New York for the championship. I’m from there,” he said. "Being able to go back to the Garden and compete for a championship, it’s the best feeling ever.”