Jason Burgos
San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama could not help but admit the New York Knicks have him playing “blurry” and without control after two games in the NBA Finals.
On Friday night, to the dismay of Spurs fans all around Texas and the United States, their team was unable to make the most of their home court advantage and now finds themselves in a 2-0 hole as they head to the madhouse that is Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4 of the Finals.
Yet, late in Game 2, it looked like Wembanyama was going to will his team to victory after a spirited pep talk during the fourth quarter. He started hitting his shots, and was — as usual — a force on the defensive side of the ball. But Spurs fans have not seen that version of the French Phenom consistently over the first two games of the series.
A major reason why is some outstanding play on both sides of the court from his Knicks counterpart, Karl-Anthony Towns. Not only has the six-time All-Star given the Defensive Player of the Year more trouble with his offense than some expected, but he has also been superb in forcing the 22-year-old superstar into tough shots often. Plus, when he is out, Towns’ Knicks teammates have continued those difficulties.
Victor Wembanyama claims he feels blurry when it comes to his game during NBA Finals
While Wembanyama’s numbers look good, when watching the games, at many points, he’s looked discombobulated — or as the kids would say, “lost in the sauce” — by what the Knicks are throwing at him. Well, the MVP candidate seemed to admit as much in his press conference after the Spurs’ latest defeat in Game 2.
“I’m still very blurry, and that’s the whole problem,” Wembanyama said when asked about his missed shots in the final minutes of the game. “I need to have more poise, more control over the game. I’m not going to go through all the observations, but that’s the general image.”
It’s hard to deny that Wembanyama has seemed different so far in this series. Especially after looking like the dominant force fans have gotten used to during their Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He didn’t seem “blurry” against OKC, but the Knicks have gotten him out of his game in a way that few thought possible.
