The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic’s daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox.On this date in 1992, Michael Jordan lit up the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. He scored 35 points in the first half with the help of six 3-pointers. Both are finals records. Jordan gave the famous shrug after knocking down his sixth 3, probably because he’d only made 32 out of 116 (27.5 percent) that season, including the playoffs. More importantly, it led to this part of “The Last Dance” in which he lost a quarters game with a security guard and got hit backwith “the shrug.”Finals breakdownThe Bounce preview, and a pick, in Knicks-SpursThe 2026 NBA Finals tip off tonight with the San Antonio Spurs hosting the New York Knicks for Game 1. This is shaping up to be a fascinating battle for the championship. We are guaranteed our eighth different champion in eight years. So what should we all expect? Let’s preview!How did the Spurs get here? In the first round of the playoffs, the Spurs beat Portland in five games despite missing Victor Wembanyama for one game with a concussion. In the second round, the Spurs beat Minnesota in six games, despite Wembanyama being thrown out of Game 4 because of a Flagrant 2 foul. They beat the defending champion Thunder in seven games in the Western Conference finals, winning Game 7 in Oklahoma City.How did the Knicks get here? The Knicks beat the Hawks in six games in the first round. That included their only two losses in the postseason so far, which came by a total of two points. Then they swept the 76ers in the second round and the Cavaliers in the East finals, which included a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback in Game 1. Their 11-game win streak is the fourth-longest in playoff history,How did the season series go? Officially, they split the season series 1-1, with New York winning on New Year’s Eve and San Antonio winning on March 1. But the Knicks beat the Spurs in the NBA Cup final, so really they won the series 2-1.What’s the best storyline? The Knicks are trying to win their first title since 1973. And the 22-year-old Wembanyama is trying to get a title in his third year, which seems like the beginning of a historic career.What’s the big hurdle for the Spurs? Winning the 3-point battle. The Knicks have been phenomenal at denying 3-point makes in this playoff run. And they’ve been about as lethal as it gets shooting the ball from the outside. The Spurs have to find a way to curb that dominance on the perimeter.What’s the big hurdle for the Knicks? Finding ways to win the Wembanyama minutes. We know about trying to create a big gulf in the Luke Kornet minutes, but the Knicks can’t hope those 8-12 minutes per night will be enough to win the games. They must win with Wemby on the floor.Key player for the Spurs: Dylan Harper. It’s a lot to ask of the rookie, but Harper has been tremendous for most of this run. One more big series will get him a ring.