Victor Wembanyama sleep walks through long-awaited NBA Finals moment

SAN ANTONIO — It’s shocking how quickly this moment came.We knew it was brewing when 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama became the most highly touted prospect since LeBron James.We knew it was just a matter of time when we witnessed his alien-like abilities to patrol the paint as though he were playing on a toy model of a court.We knew how badly he wanted it when tears welled in his eyes after milestone wins.It took Michael Jordan seven seasons to lead his Bulls to their first NBA Finals appearance.It took James and Kobe Bryant four years.

Wembanyama has already sprinted past them, leading his team to the Finals in his third season in the league.So how did his first appearance on a stage he’s expected to soon own go?Not great.Wembanyama had 26 points, 12 rebounds, three blocked shots and six turnovers in the Spurs’ 105-95 loss to the Knicks.He slept-walked through much of the game offensively, finishing with just six made field goals, half as many as Jalen Brunson’s 12 made shots.He missed seven of his nine 3-point attempts.

He shot 28.5 percent from the field.“I’m going to figure it out,” Wembanyama said.“I was bad tonight.

It’s not more complicated than that.”It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Wembanyama seemed to settle into his game a bit, scoring half of his field goals (three) and grabbing seven of his 12 rebounds.But with the Spurs trailing 99-95 with 1:11 left, he allowed Josh Hart to swipe the ball from him and then went on to miss a 3-pointer with 32.1 seconds left.The player who has been entirely unafraid to claim the throne held by James for two decades as the face of the league seemed to slink into his shell for much of the game.

He just didn’t quite meet the moment.He didn’t dominate.It was uncharacteristic.

It was surprising.It was a stark reminder that he’s just 22.It’s obvious Wembanyama is going to blame himself for this loss.

The Spurs led by as many as 13 points midway through the third quarter before the Knicks...