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Survival: Spurs, Wemby come of ageGames like last night’s thriller trigger one of my favorite debates, which focuses on young teams playing in big moments: Are these players just impervious to pressure? Built different? Or are they too inexperienced to even understand the full stakes of what’s going on? It doesn’t matter, really, when the result is the same. The San Antonio Spurs occupied that liminal space with glee last night in a season-saving 115-111 win at Madison Square Garden in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Instead of staring down an impossible 3-0 hole, this is a 2-1 series that can still go either way. Thoughts from me:
The arena and atmosphere lived up to the hype, which makes the Spurs’ win even more impressive. Victor Wembanyama found himself on the biggest stage, scoring 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting. He was who the Spurs needed him to be: versatile, physical, aggressive. Each finals game for the young Wemby feels like a big moment in his career, but tonight’s win will make his bio forever.
The Knicks had every chance to win this game and essentially close out the series early. Jalen Brunson also scored 32, but Karl-Anthony Towns sputtered to just 11 points after a strong start in this series. San Antonio’s defense stifled in the second half, particularly during a brutish stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter.
