Victor Wembanyama didn’t get this far by losing his cool. He’s not starting now.
Victor Wembanyama didn’t get this far by losing his cool. He’s not starting now.in the NBA Finals Wednesday night. San Antonio put up its worst offensive outing of the postseason, and Wembanyama struggled and looked gassed down the stretch.
With the loss, the Spurs ceded home-court advantage to a Knicks team that has now won 12 consecutive playoff games and feeds at home off a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd.
“We’ve been down in a series before, never in the Finals, obviously,” Wembanyama told reporters. “But I’m not kicking myself about anything, really. That’s pretty convincing. Either he’s really not worried, or he’s cool enough to tell a compelling tale if he is.
While Wembanyama’s confidence hasn’t waned since the final horn, he wasn’t hiding from what added up to a subpar performance — by his lofty standards, at least. Wembanyama led San Antonio with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. But New York’s defense forced him into repeated bad looks. And he shot 6 of 21 from the field and turned the ball over a game-high six times.
While Jalen Brunson iced the win for the Knicks, Wembanyama clearly wasn’t at his best on offense throughout the night or in the pressure moments down the stretch.
“I was bad tonight, Wembanyama said. “It’s not more complicated than that. ” Wembanyama’s confidence is well-grounded. He’s a transcendent talent in the midst of a breakout season at 22 years old that netted him Defensive Player of the Year and a spot as an MVP finalist and put his Spurs in the Finals in his first NBA postseason.
And the Spurs have rallied this postseason after losing Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals at home to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Finals stage is, obviously, a different beast. And these Knicks are not those Timberwolves. The Spurs will need Wembanyama to deliver on that confidence in Game 2 Friday night or risk going to New York for Game 3 in an 0-2 hole.
Victor Wembanyama New York Knicks Losing Game NBA Finals The Spurs San Antonio Jalen Brunson Minnesota Timberwolves
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