Wemby Praises Knicks' 'Relentless Effort' in Video Ahead of Historic NBA Finals Matchup with Spurs

As the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs prepare to tip off the NBA Finals on Wednesday, Victor Wembanyama praised the Eastern Conference champs for what they have shown to reach this point.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Wembanyama cited the "relentless effort" of the Knicks as the main reason they steamrolled their way through the East in the playoffs.

If the Spurs are going to take down the Knicks and win their first title since the 2013-14 season, they have to overcome a lot of history.

The Spurs are the second-youngest team by average age (25.15 years) to reach the Finals since the 1976-77 Portland Trail Blazers (25.02 years) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers to win the championship.

That roster inexperience hasn't hindered the Spurs too much, including winning a road Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals against the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

As far as the "relentless" Knicks go, they are on one of the all-time great postseason runs right now. They are 12-2 overall in these playoffs, including 11 straight wins, and their plus-271 point differential is the best over any 14-game stretch in postseason history.

During this streak of 11 consecutive wins for the Knicks, the only game decided by single digits was a 108-102 victory over the Sixers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Knicks won two of three head-to-head meetings with the Spurs during the regular season, with one of them being in the NBA Cup final. Their 114-89 win at Madison Square Garden on March 1 was the largest margin of defeat (25 points) for the Spurs this season.

Wembanyama averaged 28.0 points and 13.0 rebounds in the two regular-season meetings against New York. He finished with 18 points and six boards off the bench in the NBA Cup final while working his way back from a calf strain.

Game 1 between the Knicks and Spurs at Frost Bank Center will be played on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.