The San Antonio Spurs are already into the NBA Finals in their first real playoff run with this young core, but they have a hole to dig themselves out of after dropping Game 1 against the New York Knicks 105-95 on Wednesday night.
The Spurs took a lead that got as big as 14 points in the second half, but they didn’t have their best stuff all night and let the lead slip away over the course of the final two quarters. While some may credit the loss to inexperience, San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama doesn’t think the big stage of the NBA Finals is any excuse for the loss.
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“It definitely felt special for sure,” Wembanyama said. “But nothing close that could be an excuse, you know? It was not a factor in our performance.”
There are a few plausible reasons for the Spurs’ shortcomings in Game 1. Fatigue could be an issue, as the Spurs are coming off of a very physical seven-game series with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. They did have three days off between series, but it’s understandable that the Spurs had some heavy legs down the stretch of Game 1.
The Spurs also had a tough night shooting the ball, finishing well below 40% from the field and just 11-of-43 from 3-point range. An increase in that area should help the Spurs get right back into the series.
San Antonio will also need a better performance from Wembanyama in order to win the title this season. The star Frenchman’s final stat line looks okay: 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. But he shot just 6-of-21 from the field and finished with six turnovers, so there is plenty of room to improve as he gets used to a very good Knicks defense.
Wembanyama and the Spurs won’t have a lot of time to dwell on this loss, as they have a quick turnaround before Game 2. San Antonio’s chance to get even in the series will come on Friday night in front of its home fans.
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