Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The Spurs need more from Victor Wembanyama in the Finals

The New York Knicks are living their dreams up 2-0 in the Finals while the San Antonio Spurs are suffering through a nightmare. It’s been a fun series with Game 2 being the best playoff outing since the Western Conference Finals opener, and now the championship round has shifted to New York.

One could point to Victor Wembanyama turning the ball over by throwing it to Stephon Castle’s back, or coach Mitch Johnson not calling a timeout before that mistake late in Game 2, considering how shaky the team looked, or how Julian Champagnie has been San Antonio’s only deep threat. Yet the Knicks have gotten contributions from everyone and are ahead because they’ve made Wembanyama look human. Being the more macho team has made it difficult for him to get loose consistently on the inside, making him do the extra work to set up on the perimeter.

New York’s Game 2 win was like a body shot that tests the will of its victim. There will be no hiding how badly the Spurs want to keep going the moment they find themselves in a 15-point hole or give up a momentous run in the third quarter. 

Wembanyama had a huge third quarter in Game 2, scoring a dozen points on 62.5 percent shooting, but needs to put that type of pressure on New York every minute. He also can’t allow Karl-Anthony Towns to outplay him, especially in key moments. He’ll need to track KAT closer at the arc, and shoot better outside of the lane since he’s missed too many open 3-pointers. The only spot he’s shooting decently is at the rim, but he’s not strong enough to get there every time.

The reserves, Luka Kornet and Carter Bryant, have struggled and this means Wemby may have to play extra minutes than the 39.1 he’s averaging in the series. Logging that many is never easy, but many of the greats have done it when there was no other choice. Think back to Michael Jordan averaging 45 minutes in two playoff rounds, LeBron James doing the same seven times or how Wilt Chamberlain did that in 27 of 29 series. The best ones make sure they go down emptying the clip. 

Of course, De’Aaron Fox has to start playing like an All-Star again, too. He was nice in the fourth quarter of Game 2, but more of it is necessary so Wembanyama takes open jumpers or scores off easy rolls. 

Both games have been decided by 11 combined points. Unless the levy breaks because of mental resignation, the Spurs can still win in New York if they get nastier in the trenches and score more than 12 fastbreak points. 

Keep in mind that the Spurs are the third team to be in this position after losing the first two Finals games at home. The previous teams failed.