NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama is embracing the intense spotlight of the NBA Finals, and his San Antonio teammates wouldn’t have it any other way.
Just under two days after the 22-year-old French sensation missed a crucial final shot in Game 2 that could have defeated the New York Knicks and tied the series, the emerging face of professional basketball says the mounting pressure doesn’t faze him as San Antonio prepares for Game 3 while trailing 2-0.
“There’s really no reason to overthink it,” Wembanyama stated Sunday. “This is what I’m built for.”
The towering center hasn’t been San Antonio’s weakness in the Finals. He paced the team with 26 points in their first contest and topped all scorers with 29 points in Game 2.
After Wembanyama’s potential series-tying jumper bounced off the rim, teammate Keldon Johnson delivered a simple message: “Shoot it again.”
“He’s our guy,” Johnson explained. “From day one, he’s been our guy. He’s the engine offensively and defensively. You can’t make every game-winner, but you can’t make a shot you don’t take. And we’re living with that shot. Every day of the week, twice on Sundays, we’re living with Vic taking our game-winning shot because that’s our guy and that’s the belief that we have in Victor.”
Players expressed unwavering confidence during practice at Madison Square Garden, knowing they’ll face a hostile crowd Monday evening. Guard Stephon Castle described both opening games at home as winnable contests, but the consecutive defeats have intensified their focus.
“Our sense of urgency is probably the highest it’s been all playoffs,” Castle remarked, adding that his ankle feels better than anticipated after Friday’s injury. “I think it’s just human nature to come out with a certain sense of urgency, especially after a loss.”
San Antonio dropped consecutive contests to Oklahoma City during the Western Conference finals, though that occurred after capturing the series opener. The Spurs haven’t suffered three straight defeats all season.
“If they’re not desperate now, I don’t know,” Knicks guard Deuce McBride observed. “They know their backs are against the wall, and they’re going to have to come out and they’re going to have to fight. We’re going to be ready, we’re going to exceed that and we’re going to do everything we can do to bring home a win.”
In preparation for the turnaround effort, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson hadn’t yet explored New York City before Sunday’s practice session. He and his coaching staff stuck to their established playoff routine.
“You dig into the film, you argue, beat yourself up,” Johnson explained. “You give each other feedback, figure out how to help the guys for the next game.”
Johnson believes his squad hasn’t performed to its capabilities like New York, which has captured 13 consecutive victories. A change of venue might provide the spark they need.
San Antonio holds a 6-3 road record this postseason, including a Game 7 victory over the defending champion Thunder in the West finals. Keldon Johnson expressed confidence that he and his teammates can succeed “regardless of where we’re playing at, whether it’s here, on Mars, away, home.”
Center Luke Kornet finds excitement in the challenging environment.
“All the adversity, noise and all that stuff just honestly helps you sharpen up and kind of focus even more on the basketball,” said Kornet, who spent his initial two NBA seasons with the Knicks from 2017-19. “That kind of you-against-everybody-else-in-the-building atmosphere, the pressure kind of brings you together.”
The stakes have reached their peak, considering no franchise in NBA history has overcome a 2-0 home Finals deficit to claim the championship. Veteran leaders encourage the Spurs to move past their heartbreaking loss and avoid dwelling on what happened.
“The only thing that matters is what’s in front of us right now,” forward Harrison Barnes stated. “We can’t take last game and bring it into this game. You can learn from it, but I think the biggest thing for us how do we focus on making the plays, focus in on just how to begin as a team and just going out there and just playing free.”
