SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama seemed ready to claim his throne.
He was named the first Defensive Player of the Year and unanimously chosen as the Western Conference Finals MVP after leading his team to victory against second-year MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the reigning champion Thunder in Game 7 in Oklahoma City.
At just 22, Wembanyama was widely regarded as the best player in the world.
However, through the first two games of the NBA Finals, he wasn’t even the most dominant big man on the court.
Despite posting solid stats—27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks—he faced challenges finding good shots against Karl-Anthony Towns, hitting only 40.5% from the field and a mere 26.7% from three-point range.
On the other hand, Towns was performing exceptionally, averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists with impressive shooting percentages of 55.6% overall and 42.9% from beyond the arc. He significantly outperformed Wembanyama both off the dribble and on the boards.
After a narrow loss of 105-104 in the second game, Wembanyama remarked, “They’re really good players, and they’re putting us in tough spots. Towns is a great player.”
He also acknowledged the need for his team to improve their positioning during plays, stating, “We are getting ourselves into a difficult situation. That’s been the storyline so far.”
During Game 1, Wembanyama struggled with his shot, going 6 for 21 and at one point giving the Spurs a 14-point lead in the second half.
In Game 2, he rallied in the fourth quarter, scoring 22 of his 29 points during that time, but unfortunately missed two crucial shots in the final moments—including a potential game-winner—and committed a turnover and foul that allowed Jalen Brunson to score the go-ahead free throw.
“It’s so frustrating to waste so much effort,” Wembanyama said, describing his feeling of being “in a daze” as the clock wound down. “Will I regret this? Absolutely. But I’ll definitely use it as fuel for the next game.”
Wembanyama now has a chance to make amends as the Spurs head to Madison Square Garden for what many are calling the most awaited game of the century.
They need a win to avoid the dreaded 3-0 series deficit, a hole from which no team in NBA history has ever recovered.
The last team to lose the first two Finals games at home was the 1995 Magic, led by a then-23-year-old Shaquille O’Neal, who went on to win four championships and three Finals MVPs. However, he first faced the embarrassment of being swept by Hakeem Olajuwon and the Rockets, arguably one of the biggest moments in sports history.
“So here we are,” Wembanyama reflected. “We can’t change what happened before. We’re just focused on the next game.”
