NEW YORK (AP) — Victor Wembanyama compares playing at home to having a six-on-five advantage on the basketball court. Playing away from home, he says, feels like five against six.
The young star embraces that challenge.
Wembanyama and his San Antonio teammates excelled in their Game 3 NBA Finals matchup at Madison Square Garden, showing no intimidation from the hostile crowd or the series disadvantage they’re battling against the New York Knicks.
“I like lively crowds, active crowds,” Wembanyama commented Tuesday, about 13 hours following his impressive 32-point performance that included eight rebounds and six assists in his first finals victory. “At home, it’s an extra motivation because you want to give the people who support you a good show. On the road, you want to do the opposite.”
After quieting a packed house of almost 20,000 fans, San Antonio has an opportunity to tie the series in Wednesday evening’s Game 4 at the Garden, where the atmosphere could be even more electric as supporters attempt to push their squad toward its first title since 1973.
“We find a comfort playing on the road, knowing when you’re in this environment, it’s us versus them, and obviously everybody in the crowd,” Guard De’Aaron Fox explained. “When you know that — everybody behind you has your back — it allows you to settle into these games.”
Teammate Stephon Castle acknowledged that he and the Spurs understood their season hung in the balance after dropping the first two games of the series, and he praised their unity for achieving a 7-3 road record during these playoffs. While Monday represented a crucial victory, Wednesday carries similar weight since just one team out of 38 that fell behind 3-1 in the finals has managed to claim the championship.
“It’s something you can’t shy away from, especially with the goals and aspirations that we have,” Castle explained. “Just focus on the things that matter throughout the game and not really paying too close attention to the crowd. They’re going to be there regardless, especially cheering on their team. You should want to play in those environments. I feel like that’s when we play at our best.”
Wembanyama delivered exactly that level of play, bouncing back from his failed buzzer-beater attempt to deliver a stellar showing worthy of the intense spotlight at the venue dubbed the world’s most famous arena. However, the 22-year-old French center didn’t carry the load alone.
Castle, age 21, contributed 23 points and appeared unaffected by the ankle injury he sustained during Friday’s Game 2. Devin Vassell, 25, and Julian Champagnie, approaching his 25th birthday, both connected on crucial shots and reached double-digit scoring. Rookie Dylan Harper, just 20 years old, added 13 points coming off the bench.
Fox, at 28 one of the team’s veterans, credits those younger players’ temperament for explaining their ability to perform under pressure.
“They just don’t have the personalities that you would think that are just going to be overwhelmed by something,” Fox observed. “I don’t know what they’re feeling on the inside, obviously. What you see out there on the court with them, just when you see it on their faces when New York is going on a run, you don’t see them panic.”
The Spurs appear free of panic, regardless of how little experience some of their key contributors possess. Coach Mitch Johnson recognizes why there’s considerable discussion about youth and experience, but similar to Fox, he believes it comes down to the character of players like Wembanyama, Castle and Harper rather than their years of life and basketball experience.
Their inexperience might actually benefit them. Harper mentioned this marks his first experience being jeered on New York streets while leaving his hotel, though the hostility only motivated him and his teammates — and may continue doing so.
“We just stay together in environments like this,” Harper said. “When we come to away games in the playoffs, for us at least, it’s been just staying together and holding each other accountable. I feel like with the level of desperation and desire that we played with (in Game 3), I feel like we’re pretty hard to beat when we do that.”
