The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.Today is the 50th birthday of Earl Boykins, the second-shortest player in NBA history. He stands just 5 feet 5, but he managed to play 652 games in 13 NBA seasons. Boykins averaged 8.9 points in 19.9 minutes for his career. His career best was 14.6 points per game in the 2006-07 season. He played for 10 different teams. He was incredible to watch. He’s a testament to heart and determination.Finals previewPressing questions ahead of Knicks-SpursTomorrow at 8:30 p.m. ET, the NBA Finals will tip off on ABC between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. We’re previewing this matchup today and tomorrow. The Knicks getting back to the finals for the first time since 1999 is a massive deal. The Spurs getting to the finals with Victor Wembanyama is gargantuan.This isn’t the first time these two teams have played for a championship this season. That’s right! Remember the NBA Cup final? That happened back in December in Las Vegas, with the Knicks walking away with a 124-113 win, an extra $500k per player, a banner in the rafters of Madison Square Garden and the NBA Cup itself.Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (now hilariously) once said he has the answers to the test but needs to know the questions. Well, I had some immediate questions about this finals matchup once we knew the Spurs were joining the Knicks, and we’re going to try to figure out the answers together. By together, I mean I’m going to talk to myself here, and you might read some of it!Can the Knicks actually win it all? Yes, absolutely. It doesn’t take a lot of mental gymnastics either. I’ve mentioned this before, but usually once we start getting three or four “what ifs” deep into The What If Game, then it’s pretty difficult to take a team’s chances seriously. Barring massive injury, of course. That’s not what the Knicks are dealing with here. They’ve established themselves as a legitimate title contender during these playoffs. It’s not just because they’re in the finals. It’s because of the way they dominated on their way to the finals.Easy road or not, they’re doing stuff no other team has done in NBA history. The Spurs have Wemby, and he’s a nearly impossible player to plan for. But the Knicks have Jalen Brunson, a great offense, and more-than-capable role players playing peak basketball right now. Their offense is clicking. Their defense is stifling. And they’ve made over 51 percent of their shots and 40 percent of their 3-pointers in the postseason so far. Now you just have to do it against Wemby.What do the Knicks have to throw at Wemby? I’d expect a rotation of three different defenders to guard Wembanyama, with lots of help running over to take away driving lanes. Karl-Anthony Towns is the easy option up front. His size and strength should keep Wemby relatively off-balance, but he’ll need to stay away from the quick, dumb fouls. OG Anunoby will see a lot of time on him with KAT in help. Anunoby is strong and has incredible hands. He could force Wemby into some turnover situations, but the second Wemby gets a stop on him and Anunoby can’t swipe the ball, it’s going to be a shot attempt in the paint.