By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following the San Antonio Spurs’ heartbreaking Game 4 defeat, Victor Wembanyama confronted the frustration of a blown 29-point lead that has left his team facing a 3–1 deficit in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Looking back at the second-half meltdown capped by OG Anunoby’s 1.2-second tip-in winner, the 22-year-old center pointed to a deeper breakdown in mentality. “I think it began before that,” he countered a question about how the Spurs collapsed in the fourth quarter. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. I think it was just execution. Greediness, some sort. We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”
The final moments at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night were defined by absolute chaos. With 5.7 seconds remaining, De’Aaron Fox drove hard for a heavily contested layup. “I fell on the floor, I couldn’t really see. I just saw the block,” noted Wemby during his postgame press conference.
The sequence concluded with the British starter tipping in the miss of Jalen Brunson’s long 3-point attempt to complete the monumental rally, giving New York three chances to secure the championship. “I don’t know. I didn’t see it again. I was contesting the first shot, turned around, and saw him up there. That’s all I can tell you,” added Wemby.
Meanwhile, in the midst of a delirious home crowd chanting his name, 28-year-old Anunoby reflected on the team’s grit, saying, “Just do whatever it takes to win. We’re resilient. We believe in each other.”
Beyond the defensive lapses, Wembanyama shouldered accountability for missing two critical free throws during crunch time. “Same thing as always. It’s just a shot. You work on your form, but at the end of the day, it’s just a shot,” he commented, downplaying any mechanical issues. “You need to shoot it.”
Compounding the sting of the loss, a flagrant foul assessed during the match has now placed him on the verge of a one-game suspension if he picks up another. The French superstar remained stoic about his defensive approach moving forward in the championship series of the 2026 NBA Playoffs, presented by Google, mentioning, “Of course, I’m going to be more careful, but it’s not going to change much.”
Though the defeat leaves San Antonio with its back against the wall, Wembanyama firmly rejected any sense of defeatism.
“It was painful, of course. It feels like we work too hard and give up our leads. It’s just as simple as that. It just hurts,” he said.
Looking ahead to a do-or-die Game 5, the Le Chesnay native laid out a strict path forward for the locker room to unite rather than fracture.
“I think it’s going to go one of two ways. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, being more together, and this is what we’re going to do,” he stated. “Holding each other accountable. Communicating. Not pointing fingers. After that, we either got it or we don’t, but we have proven that we can surpass these difficulties. Even though we haven’t been there before, I’m convinced we’re built this way, and we are going to use the better of this, and it’s going to tighten us up.”
The best-of-seven series now returns to San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center for Saturday’s crucial matchup.
NBA Playoffs 2026
Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Orlando Magic 4-3 (101-112, 98-83, 105-113, 88-94, 116-109, 93-79, 116-94)
Cleveland Cavaliers – Toronto Raptors 4-3 (126-113, 115-105, 104-126, 89-93, 125-120, 110-112, 114-102)
New York Knicks – Atlanta Hawks 4-2 (113-102, 106-107, 108-109, 114-98, 126-97, 140-89)
Boston Celtics – Philadelphia 76ers 3-4 (123-91, 97-111, 108-100, 128-96, 97-113, 93-106, 100-109)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers 3-4 (111-101, 107-97, 109-116, 103-112, 113-117, 115-94, 94-125)
New York Knicks – Philadelphia 76ers 4-0 (137-98, 108-102, 108-94, 144-114)
Finals (best-of-seven)
New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers 4-0 (115-104, 109-93, 121-108, 130-93)
Western Conference
Quarterfinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Phoenix Suns 4-0 (119-84, 120-107, 121-109, 131-122)
Los Angeles Lakers – Houston Rockets 4-2 (107-98, 101-94, 112-108, 96-115, 93-99, 98-78)
Denver Nuggets – Minnesota Timberwolves 2-4 (126-115, 114-119, 96-113, 96-112, 125-113, 98-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Portland Trail Blazers 4-1 (111-98, 103-106, 120-108, 114-93, 114-95)
Semifinals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – Los Angeles Lakers 4-0 (108-90, 125-107, 131-108, 115-110)
San Antonio Spurs – Minnesota Timberwolves 4-2 (102-104, 133-95, 115-108, 109-114, 126-97, 139-109)
Finals (best-of-seven)
Oklahoma City Thunder – San Antonio Spurs 3-4 (115-122, 122-113, 123-108, 82-103, 127-114, 91-118, 103-111)
NBA Finals 2026 (best-of-seven)
San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks 1-3 (95-105, 104-105, 115-111, 106-107)
Make