Victor Wembanyama does not hide. Despite missing the shot that could have changed the course of the NBA Finals, the young star of the San Antonio Spurs made it clear that the pressure does not affect his confidence as his team tries to overcome a 0-2 deficit against the New York Knicks.
Less than two days after missing the decisive shot at the end of the second game of the series, the 22-year-old French center seemed calm and convinced that he is prepared to assume responsibility in the most important moments.
“There’s no reason to think about it too much. This is what I’m made for,” Wembanyama said before the Spurs’ training session at Madison Square Garden.
Far from being blamed for the situation, Wembanyama has been San Antonio’s main reference point during the Finals. The Frenchman scored 26 points in the first game and again led his team with 29 points in the second, although his performances were not enough to avoid defeats.
Within the Texan locker room, the support for his figure is absolute. His teammate Keldon Johnson assured that he would trust him with the decisive ball again without hesitation.
“He’s our player. He has been since day one. You can’t make every game-winner, but you can’t make one you don’t try. We can live with that shot any day of the week,” Johnson said.
Now the series moves to New York, where the Spurs will try to change the dynamic before a crowd that promises to turn Madison Square Garden into a real cauldron. The Knicks arrive with an impressive streak of 13 consecutive victories and with the opportunity to make an almost definitive blow in the fight for the championship.
Still, trust reigns in San Antonio. Point guard Stephon Castle acknowledged that the urgency is maximum, but insisted that the first two games were perfectly winnable.
“Our sense of urgency is probably the highest of all the playoffs,” explained the rookie, who also confirmed that his ankle is responding better than expected after the injury suffered in the second game.
The antecedents do not invite us to give up either. The Spurs have shown strength away from home throughout the postseason, posting a record of six wins and three losses on the road, including a decisive victory in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder
Coach Mitch Johnson believes that his team has not yet shown its best version in this series, although he trusts that the change of scenery can help his players regain sensations.
For his part, veteran Harrison Barnes insisted on the importance of putting the bitter defeat of the second game behind us.
“The only thing that matters is what we have in front of us now. We can learn from what happened, but we can’t carry it with us to the next game,” he said.
History works against San Antonio. No team in NBA history has lost the first two games of a Finals at home and subsequently managed to lift the trophy. However, with Wembanyama leading the project and a group convinced of their chances, Spurs still believe they can defy the statistics and script a historic comeback.
Game 3 presents itself as a true test of character for a franchise that refuses to give up and for a star who seems to relish when the pressure is the most intense.
