SAN ANTONIO – Victor Wembanyama refused to hit the panic button on June 3, after the San Antonio Spurs blew a double-digit lead to suffer a potentially crucial NBA Finals Game 1 loss to the New York Knicks.
The French superstar led San Antonio’s scorers with 26 points at home but had a poor shooting night before ultimately being upstaged by the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson.
The turning point of the game came when New York erased a 14-point second-half deficit to claim a 105-95 victory and take a 1-0 lead.
A relaxed Wembanyama was staying calm after the disappointing opening loss, noting that there was still a long way to go in the best-of-seven series.
“Nothing,” he replied when asked what aspects of his performance he was kicking himself over. “We’ve been down in a series before. Never in the Finals, obviously.
“But I’m not kicking myself about anything really. I mean, I’m not worried the slightest.”
The 22-year-old is confident that San Antonio will bounce back in time for Game 2 in Texas on June 5 (June 6 morning, Singapore time).
“I’m going to figure it out,” the Frenchman added.
“I mean, I was bad tonight. It’s not more complicated than that.”
Wembanyama also rejected suggestions that the occasion of playing in the NBA Finals – their first since 2014 – might have played a role in San Antonio’s defeat.
“I mean, it definitely felt special, for sure,” he said. “But nothing close to that could be an excuse, you know. It was not a factor in our performance.”
Wembanyama added that he was confident of delivering an improved performance in time for Game 2.
“It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out. It’s almost like I have to play normal, not even good,” he said. “It’s just like doing the right things is enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot.
“This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”
Knicks talisman Brunson shrugged off an early injury scare to inspire a magnificent fightback and give New York a precious early advantage.
He upstaged Wembanyama with a masterful clutch fourth-quarter display, scoring 13 points in the final frame as the Knicks closed out a win to silence an expectant home crowd in Texas.
The game was tied with just over two minutes to go, but Brunson marshalled the Knicks brilliantly and a late burst of scoring put the game out of the Spurs’ reach.
“Just sticking together – it wasn’t really our night and wasn’t really my night most of the night but we kept finding a way, kept chipping away,” Brunson said afterwards.
The Knicks playmaker said the team’s “chemistry” had helped them climb out of their 14-point hole in the third quarter.
“Just knowing we have each other’s back – there’s a lot of things we could have done better, but I think our togetherness was really the biggest difference,” added Brunson, who left the court in the first quarter with a knee injury before returning.
Brunson was one of four Knicks to finish in double figures, with Karl-Anthony Towns adding 18 points, OG Anunoby 17 and Landry Shamet 13. AFP