NBA Finals open June 3 in San Antonio; Spurs host Knicks Game 1

The NBA Finals open on Wednesday, June 3, with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the New York Knicks in Game 1 at Frost Bank Center. NBA.com said the best-of-seven series begins at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC, with San Antonio holding home-court advantage after earning the higher seed. CBS Sports and ESPN have framed the series around Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson, the two players most often cited in pre-series previews. Betting coverage entering Tuesday had the Spurs favored, though CBS Sports said its projection model still saw value on New York. ### Why does Game 1 start in San Antonio? The NBA’s official Finals schedule lists San Antonio as the home team for Game 1 on June 3 and Game 2 on June 5. Frost Bank Center is the listed venue for the opener, and all Finals games are scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET, according to NBA.com. San Antonio secured home-court advantage by finishing above New York in the regular-season order, according to the league schedule and multiple series previews. That means Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, if necessary, are set for San Antonio, while Games 3, 4 and 6 are scheduled for Madison Square Garden. ### Why are Wembanyama and Brunson the center of the preview? ESPN’s Finals preview said the defining matchup themes begin with Wembanyama and Brunson. Wembanyama enters the series as San Antonio’s focal point on both ends of the floor, while Brunson has been the lead engine of New York’s offense through the playoffs. CBS Sports and other preview coverage have treated the series as a contrast between San Antonio’s size and defensive reach and New York’s guard play and late-game shot creation. NBC Sports said the teams split their regular-season meetings 1-1, adding another layer to the pre-series focus on how each star can impose his style. ### How unusual is this Knicks-Spurs matchup? The Knicks are in their first NBA Finals since 1999, CBS Sports said in a preview published Tuesday. That same 1999 series was also against San Antonio, which won in five games for the franchise’s first title. San Antonio is back in the Finals for the first time since 2014, according to CBS Sports. The pairing gives the league a Finals matchup between one franchise returning after more than a decade away and another ending a 27-year wait to get back to the championship round. ### What are analysts and betting previews saying before the opener? CBS Sports said Tuesday that its SportsLine Projection Model still identifies “significant value” on New York in futures betting even with the Spurs entering the series as favorites. ESPN’s betting preview also posed the series in similar terms, asking whether the Knicks can deliver an upset or whether San Antonio and Wembanyama will control the matchup. USA Today and other betting guides published Game 1 odds and series prices ahead of the opener, all pointing to San Antonio as the market favorite. Those previews did not change the basic setup: the Spurs are favored at home, but New York has drawn support from analysts pointing to its playoff run and Brunson’s role in close games. ### What should viewers watch first when the series tips off? Game 1 will offer the first look at how San Antonio handles Brunson in the half court and how New York answers Wembanyama’s length around the rim. ESPN’s preview said those tactical questions sit at the center of the series. ABC carries Game 1 on Wednesday night, and the NBA schedule lists Game 2 for Friday, June 5, again in San Antonio. If the series shifts to New York on schedule, Madison Square Garden hosts Game 3 on Monday, June 8, with the Knicks and Spurs then returning for the rest of the 2-2-1-1-1 format.