SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Standing at the center of the NBA Finals stage, Victor Wembanyama finds himself confronting the most daunting challenge of his professional basketball journey.
The towering French center appears unfazed by the pressure.
Following their historic collapse in Game 4 — where San Antonio became the first NBA Finals squad ever to surrender a 29-point advantage and lose — Wembanyama and his teammates must capture three consecutive victories to prevent the New York Knicks from claiming the championship trophy. During Friday’s practice session, the 7-foot-4 star expressed unwavering confidence in his team’s capabilities.
“Everybody thinks, everybody knows, we’re going to do it,” Wembanyama said.
The young phenom showed no signs of anxiety. This French sensation has already guided San Antonio through two elimination scenarios during this postseason run, helping the Spurs capture both Games 6 and 7 in their Western Conference finals matchup against Oklahoma City, ultimately dethroning the defending champion Thunder.
Saturday’s Game 5 against New York presents another must-win situation for the Spurs. Should they prevail on Saturday, Tuesday’s Game 6 becomes equally crucial. Victory in that contest would force a decisive Game 7 next Friday.
“I feel like we need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time,” Wembanyama said. “I think it would be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”
San Antonio’s Finals performance has been marked by strong starts followed by disappointing finishes. They held a 14-point advantage in Game 1 before falling by 10 points. Game 2 saw them squander a 12-point lead, ultimately losing by a single point. Their lone victory came in Game 3 by four points, before Thursday’s devastating 29-point meltdown resulted in another one-point defeat.
The evidence suggests San Antonio possesses the ability to compete with New York.
However, they’ve failed to close out victories in three of four contests. Their current mission would make them only the second NBA Finals team ever to overcome a 3-1 series disadvantage; Cleveland accomplished this feat against Golden State in 2016. The previous 37 teams attempting such a comeback all came up short.
“It definitely matters,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I feel like we’ve made history all year, and we’ve proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. So, I don’t really expect this to be any different.”
Wembanyama shares that sentiment.
The Spurs recognize their talent level matches their opponents. They’ve established early leads and dominated every opening quarter, only to see those margins disappear. Game 3 marked their successful recovery, while Games 1, 2, and 4 told different stories. Game 5 demands another recovery — or their season concludes.
“You said all of it,” Wembanyama said. “We’re very confident. I wouldn’t say it was so hard to shake off (Game 4). Harder than any other game before, by far, for sure. I mean, now we’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”
