Victor Wembanyama found clarity drawing in New York park, then used it to beat Knicks
"I'm still very blurry. That's the whole problem." That's how Victor Wembanyama described himself in the immediate aftermath of Game 2, trying to get his head around the disastrous final few possessions that put the Spurs in an 0-2 hole. He said at the time he needed to slow his
That's how Victor Wembanyama described himself in the immediate aftermath of Game 2, trying to get his head around the disastrous final few possessions that put the Spurs in an 0-2 hole. He said at the time he needed to slow his mind down and get some clarity.
"The Playoffs, it's like a — I don't know how to say that word — a whirlwind. It's hard to put your head out of the water," Wembanyama said of his headspace. "Sometimes I don't even go to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind."
Wembanyama took that time off before Game 3 and found his clarity sitting in Gramercy Park in New York on Sunday, sketching a picture of a statue (of Edwin Booth, legendary Shakespearean actor of the mid-1800s, although unfortunately for him, he is better remembered as the brother of John Wilkes Booth).
A clear-headed Wembanyama went out and scored 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, had eight rebounds and six assists, plus three blocks. He was the best player on the court. Because of Wembanyama — and 23 from Stephon Castle on a bounce-back night for him, too — the Spurs have their first win in this Finals series, beating the Knicks 115-111 on Monday night. New York still leads the series 2-1, and Game 4 on Wednesday night becomes massive.
"Wemby played great," Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "He had probably seven lob dunks because we didn't follow attention to detail and try to take that away."
Mental clarity was part of it, but for San Antonio , it was also something simple (but not always easy to do): Getting back to what they see as their style of basketball.
"I thought we made some strides in terms of the ball movement and playing with our teammates, setting screens, trusting the basketball would find the right guy for our shot," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "I thought we showed better poise at times."
San Antonio made a point of getting Wembanyama going at the rim early — his first four baskets came within four feet of the rim. However, it wasn't just him — Castle, Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox all were touching paint on drives.
