If you let Victor Wembanyama tell the story of Wednesday night, he might just say that his San Antonio Spurs technically won Game 1 of the NBA Finals from an analytical perspective. After the loss, the superstar center told reporters that he's "not worried in the slightest."
He sounded almost exactly like Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson in the face of a 3-0 Eastern Conference Finals deficit, explaining that his team should have won two of those games. Wembanyama even doubled down on those sentiments after Thursday's practice.
With regard to Wembanyama thinking that his Spurs will still coast past the Knicks, New York should take a page out of Mel Robbins' book and let him. If keeping up that mindset goes anything like it did for the Cavs, New York might just be able to ride the momentum to their first NBA Championship in 53 years.
Wembanyama scoffs at idea of Knicks forcing any Spurs adjustments
The 7-foot-5 center had to work through chuckles while explaining to members of the media in San Antonio that he doesn't even need to play well for the Spurs to grab Game 2 of the NBA Finals.
"It’s like, I have to play normal. Not even good….This is why I’m not even worried, we’re gonna be so much better. I’m gonna be so much better," Wembanyama asserted after the game.
The big man went as far as to double down on the notion that the Spurs, without changing much, will still come out on top of this series. During his media availability after San Antonio's practice on Thursday, Newsday's Steve Popper shared that Wembanyama, again, downplayed the notion that the Spurs' offensive struggles were the product of any strategy the Knicks were executing.
The Knicks, on their end of things, have been thoroughly doubted at every stage of their rebuild. While Leon Rose, William Wesley, and the rest of their front office were transforming an organization without organization into a championship contender, the NBA media landscape was too busy slinging insults their way to notice.
Those critiques may have been fitting of a previous Knicks regime. Not this one.
This braintrust seems singularly focused on putting their franchise in position to win an NBA Championship. They built the roster currently on a 12-game playoff win streak, with a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals after snatching a road game from the Spurs' hands to start off the series.
That's exactly why there's no better scenario for these Knicks than the one in which the Spurs don't think they have to improve a thing about their approach. They'll gladly let San Antonio feel that way — for as many games as they'd like.
Who knows? The Spurs might even let it motivate them to an analytical series win.
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