NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
OK, what did we just witness? Victor Wembanyama delivering a performance for the ages — a 40-20! — and leading the Spurs to a 122-115 win in double OT against the defending champion Thunder in Game 1 of a Western Conference finals matchup that delivered on all the hype? We must break this down.
What’s your take on Wemby’s Game 1 performance?
Steve Jones: The image of Wemby staring at the Spurs bench and all of them reacting in different ways says it all.
It was an unreal performance on both ends of the floor. Disruptive on defense, making adjustments to keep OKC in a box. Timely and loud on offense. That deep logo 3 to tie the game will echo in the headphones of history. I remember the first time these two teams matched up this season and the overwhelming feeling that Wemby did not enjoy the Thunder. For that to progress into 41 and 24 in OKC’s building to take Game 1 of the WCF is something special.
Advertisement
Tom Haberstroh: It was a global inflection point. NBA junkies have been talking about Victor Wembanyama’s takeover for months, if not years, but the general public probably needed something like 41-24-3-3 for it to really, REALLY sink in. He’s the best player in the world and now people are starting to see what us sickos have been preaching throughout the season.
Dan Devine: I can’t believe he finished that strong. Watching Wembanyama late in the fourth quarter and in the first overtime, I thought he was completely gassed. He was fouling on both ends, getting got by unrequited nemesis Chet Holmgren, and walking back up the floor. He was just a split-second late on rotations, and just off-balance enough that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander could bump him off to finally create some space. He lost the ball in the paint, and missed a bunny at the rim.
And, like, of course he was exhausted! With 30 seconds left in OT, Wembanyama had played just under 43 minutes — mere seconds shy of his previous high-water mark for playing time, which came in the dying days of his rookie season, in a game featuring nothing approaching the absurd level brand of intensity, focus and execution that Game 1 of the Western…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/biggest-takeaways-from-wembys-game-1-takeover-in-spurs-thunder-instant-classic-144559100.html
Author : Yahoo Sports Staff
Publish date : 2026-05-19 14:45:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
