VICTOR Wembanyama is rallying for the San Antonio Spurs to rediscover their identity following the series opener loss against the New York Knicks.
The Spurs are locking in for payback time against the Knicks in Game 2 of the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, today (Saturday, June 6, PH time).
Spurs dropped Game 1 on their home floor, 95-105, and found themselves in must-win mode to prevent a 0–2 hole heading back to Madison Square Garden in New York.
The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama said that for them to win they need to get back to the team’s basic plays, which proved to be effective for them all season long.
“Really, I think the reason we lost that game isn’t even technical. It’s not even technical, tactical,” Wembanyama said in an article posted at Spurs.com. “We need to approach the game with a better mental state. We just need to play our game. We just need to be normal.”
Wembanyama stressed that by saying “normal” it means trusting each other, trusting the basketball gods, trusting the game plan, executing, and not relying on talent so much to make shots or to save the day.
The Knicks, for their part, are well aware of the Spurs coming out in a desperate mindset in Game 2.
“A desperate team,” Mitchell Robinson said in a press conference posted by the NBA on social media when asked what the Knicks are preparing for.
OG Anunoby, who was instrumental in Game 1 for the Knicks, a tightened defense is expected of them.
“I think we just tried to be physical and be aggressive defensively,” Anunoby said. “We try to make anyone we’re playing uncomfortable. We don’t want people to be comfortable. Taking up space when you can, always make sure to get a contest, and just fly around -- communicate
on defense.”
The Knicks are aiming for their first championship since 1973, while the Spurs want to win the championship again after 2014. / RSC
