Victor Wembanyama is ready to move past the worst meltdown in NBA Finals history. The San Antonio Spurs face elimination Saturday against the New York Knicks, who stunned the basketball world by erasing a 29-point deficit to steal Game 4 by a single point, 107-106.
The loss dropped San Antonio to a 1-3 hole in the best-of-seven series. A Knicks victory in Game 5 would deliver New York its first championship since 1973.
Speaking Friday at practice, the French star refused to let the collapse define his team's outlook. "There were a thousand ways we could have not lost that game," Wembanyama told reporters. "It felt like there was a time to process this, to really dwell on it, but not any more. We're over it. It's the playoffs. There's no time to regret things for too long."
The 22-year-old also downplayed the hostility the team faced in New York, where fans threw eggs at players and a water bottle at the team bus. "I didn't really think much of it," he said. "Obviously it's not good at all. But it doesn't bother me."
Wembanyama logged 44 minutes Wednesday night, a grueling workload that drew concern from coach Mitch Johnson. The coach acknowledged he may have left his star on the floor too long down the stretch. "I have to make sure I help him have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game," Johnson said. "Looking back on the game, I could have done better in that regard."
The young scorer dismissed fatigue as a factor going forward. "It's the playoffs. Everybody's just as tired. It shouldn't even be a factor in the game," he said. "It's not going to be a factor."
DeAaron Fox, who drew criticism for his late-game execution in Game 4, echoed the team's refusal to surrender. "Every game we've had some sort of a lead and we're down 3-1," Fox said. "We have to figure out how to sustain those leads. We have to figure out how to finish games."
Despite the dire circumstances, Fox pointed to the margins of defeat as evidence the Spurs belong on the same court. "These games have showed us we have a chance. It's not like we're going out there and getting steamrolled. We still have that belief we have a chance to win."
Johnson publicly backed Fox, dismissing the online pile-on that followed the guard's performance. "I don't get into social media," Johnson said. "I think I've been fired 212 times, and we've traded Fox 72 times. People have their opinions. I don't care." The coach added that what matters is the confidence inside the locker room. "DeAaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he's going to deliver like he's done countless times for us."
Author James Rodriguez: "The Spurs are speaking like a team that knows it's probably over, but won't say it out loud. That's fine. Stranger things have happened in the playoffs, and they'll need to manufacture some very strange basketball to get past the Knicks."
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