The San Antonio Spurs are left to pick up the pieces after a disastrous Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks. After appearing as though they could win the game at least three times in the final minute, they ultimately came up short.
That was mostly due to a baffling mistake in which Victor Wembanyama threw an outlet pass to Stephon Castle, who wasn't looking. That was followed up by a truly baffling foul by Wembanyama that put Jalen Brunson on the line.
Wembanyama's mistake will no doubt haunt the Spurs, who were just seconds away from potentially evening the series. Now they head to New York down 0-2.
Victor Wembanyana is learning a hard lesson in real time
It has to be pointed out that had Wembanyama not been awful in the first half, the Spurs wouldn't have been in that position in the second half.
He did rally the troops, and they made a 14-0 run to help get them the lead. However, a badly designed play with 37 seconds resulted in Wembanyama clanking a jumper on the left baseline.
Then there was that final play. You know the one that featured a bad screen by Wembanyama, De'Aaron Fox failing to gain separation, and Wembanyama being forced to settle for a contested mid-range jumper. Bad shot.
Wembanyama is learning a lesson that may make him unstoppable
Had Wembanyama not looked completely disinterested in the first half, he could have easily gone for 40. As ESPN's Tim Legler wisely pointed out, the only difference between Wembanyama's 7-point first half and 22-point second half was that he was actually taking shots. Sometimes it's that easy.
He's had similar performances against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. Consistency is key. Being the best player means that you can't have a bad NBA Finals game and then follow that up with an even worse first half.
Not letting up on the Knicks would have possibly won the Spurs one or even both games. Instead, it may cost him his first NBA Finals.
