What Victor Wembanyama and Spurs can learn from Knicks after NBA Finals disappointment
Now’s not their time. But it’s just a matter of time. Victor Wembanyama sprinted onto the championship stage earlier than anyone anticipated, showing the basketball world that it’ll soon be in his 7-foot-4 shadow. But the Spurs came up short in the NBA Finals against the Knicks, a team of destiny who brought a long-suffering fanbase joy with their first championship in 53 years.
The Knicks wanted it more.They deeply knew the rarity of this opportunity.The Spurs are next.
Not right now. Their youth showed at the end of games.Their inexperience was their kryptonite.
In a series in which the five games were decided by an average of four points, the little moments had monumental importance.The Knicks won them, punctuated by a 94-90 win in Game 5.The Spurs led by as many as 16 points, but the Knicks came roaring back.
The same old broken record played in crunch time, with the Spurs unraveling and the Knicks showing a lethal combination of poise and impeccable execution.De’Aaron Fox committed a bad foul and Wembanyama and Dylan Harper missed free throws.
Jalen Brunson soared with a 45-point performance. The Spurs could learn a lot from the Knicks. The Knicks never met a deficit that scared them.
They had the pressure of a famished fanbase putting their hopes and dreams on their every possession.They never got too high or too low.
They were steady.Unyielding. Wembanyama tried to be a student in real time.In his playoff debut, he carried the Spurs within three wins of a championship.
There were jaw-dropping moments.There were cringe-worthy mistakes. We saw Wembanyama explode for 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocked shots in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Thunder.
We saw him cry tears of joy after sending the reigning champions home in Game 7.We heard him acknowledge that he let the emotions of that series linger a bit too long, carrying them into the championship round. We witnessed him emerge as the Knicks fans’ lat...