Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs endured an all-time meltdown in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, fumbling their 29-point lead to trail the Knicks' 3-1 series lead.
Victor Wembanyama is simply crushed about how he and the San Antonio Spurs fumbled everything and endured an all-time collapse in Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals.
Reflecting on what he saw within the Spurs locker room and what he felt as he walked off from the 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks in what has been the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history, the French superstar can only be candid about his current emotions.
"It was painful, of course," he told reporters after Game 4. "It feels like we worked too hard to give up our leads.
"It's as simple as that. It just hurts."
Wemby reacts to OG Anunoby game-winner, sends message to Spurs
It appeared that the early portion of Game 4 of the NBA Finals, both Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs would tie the series at two games apiece, establishing as high as a 29-point lead and dropping the biggest halftime margin by a road team in NBA Finals history (76-49).
But in the blink of an eye, he and the Spurs saw the Knicks claw their way back and ultimately deliver an unreal comeback at the second half, capped off by OG Anunoby's game-winning tip with 1.2 seconds left in regulation.
"I don't know. I didn't see it again. I was contesting the first shot [by Jalen Brunson], turned around and saw him up there," Wembanyama said of Anunoby's heroics.
As they find themselves down from the Knicks' 3-1 lead, Wembanyama and the Spurs have no choice but to come home in San Antonio and try to redeem themselves within the next 48 hours ahead of Saturday's Game 5.
Only LeBron James and the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers are the only team in NBA history to come back and win it all despite facing a 3-1 Finals edge.
With their backs against the wall, Wembanyama stands convinced to lead the Spurs and continue seeing his group's fight until the end.
"What's going through my mind right now is gonna go one of two ways. A bad one and a good one," he told reporters.
"The bad one would be giving up, the good one would be getting stronger through this."
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