The NBA Finals will begin with two franchises looking to end long waits and add a new chapter to their history. The New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs will begin the dispute for the championship after overcoming demanding routes in the playoffs, with figures such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Victor Wembanyama leading their respective teams.

For the Knicks, the series represents their return to the decisive stage for the first time since 1999. The New York organization will try to win a title that it has not won since 1973, while the Spurs return to the Finals after more than a decade of absence, driven by the impact of Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, who led his team during the postseason and was chosen as the best player in the Western Conference finals.

The run-up to the first game was marked by the emotions expressed by Towns, who highlighted the personal meaning of playing in the Finals with the team he has followed since he was a child. The center especially remembered his mother and his family's relationship with the city of New York.

"It means a lot to my mother. When she emigrated from the Dominican Republic to New York, she saw Madison Square Garden for the first time and felt the energy that the city has for the Garden and for the Knicks," the player explained during a press conference.

Towns said that, despite not being very familiar with the rules of professional basketball, his mother understood the historical importance of the stage where the Knicks play their games.

“My mother, even until the day she passed away, didn't understand much about the rules of the NBA, but she did know one thing: that only the best play and perform in Madison Square Garden,” he said.

Born and raised in Piscataway, New Jersey, and international with the Dominican Republic national team, Towns joined the Knicks last season. The player assured that being part of a team that has returned the franchise to the Finals has a special value for him and his loved ones.

Wembanyama calls for concentration before the biggest challenge

On the San Antonio side, the speech was focused on avoiding any overconfidence after the elimination of the Oklahoma City Thunder, current NBA champions. Wembanyama acknowledged that the classification provoked an unusual emotional reaction in him, but he made it clear that the objective has not yet been met.

“The emotion was something I hadn't felt in a long time, I don't even know how long,” confessed the Frenchman when remembering the series against Oklahoma City.

The young player burst into tears after sealing his place in the Finals, although he insisted that the team must quickly focus on the championship series.

“Coming back down after this is a challenge,” Wembanyama said. “We haven't finished anything yet, we have to land and realize that we haven't done the hardest thing yet.”

The center reiterated that the Spurs' mission is far from over and stressed the need to take advantage of the hours prior to the start of the series to refocus attention on the next objective.

"Our work is far from over. So we have about... I don't know, what time is it?, about thirty-something hours to refocus," he said.

Wembanyama reaches the Finals after an outstanding performance in the playoffs. The Frenchman averages 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game, in addition to becoming the youngest player since Tom Heinsohn in 1957 to lead his team in scoring on the road to the NBA Finals.

With two historic franchises facing each other, the series will put at stake something more than the Larry O'Brien trophy: the possibility of breaking long droughts and writing a new page in the history of the league.