Wemby's Finals Shots Are Disappearing, And The Spurs Are Making NBA History For All The Wrong Reasons

Holy smokes, it’s the NBA Finals, and the New York Knicks are already on the verge of something truly special, taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the San Antonio Spurs. Game 3 is Monday night in New York, and let me tell you, if the Spurs don't pull off a comeback that's literally *never* happened before, this series could be over quicker than you can say "championship parade." What’s even crazier is how Victor Wembanyama, usually a walking highlight reel, is finding himself stuck in a rut, and the numbers are getting hard to ignore.

The Knicks' Unbreakable Resolve

The Knicks are not just winning, they're straight-up proving they are mentally tough. Their Game 2 victory, a nail-biting 105-104 win, saw them survive a 14-point fourth-quarter rally from the Spurs. That wasn't just a fluke, either. This squad has now rattled off 13 straight wins, and their resilience is off the charts. Remember way back on May 19, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals? They stared down a 22-point deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the fourth quarter and still pulled out a 115-104 stunner. Knicks head coach Mike Brown said it best, "It's an amazing feeling as a coach to know how mentally tough your team is, no matter what the situation is in front of them. To see them continue to fight and fight and fight and fight, no matter what the score is, no matter how much time is on the clock, it's just a fantastic feeling." If they snag Games 3 and 4, they’ll tie the 2017 Golden State Warriors' postseason record of 15 consecutive wins and could clinch the whole dang thing right there in New York. Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks' center, gets it. He told everyone, "Fans have earned the right and deserve the right to see Finals basketball be played here at Madison Square Garden. For this to be the first game in a long time that they have seen Finals basketball, it's up to us to bring it, give them something to cheer for, give them something to get loud for and also give them something to believe in." The city is absolutely buzzing, and you can feel it.

Wemby's Uncharacteristic Struggles

On the other side, the Spurs are staring into the abyss. They’ve managed a paltry 199 points through the first two games, which is their lowest two-game total of these entire playoffs. And the biggest head-scratcher? Wembanyama's performance. The 7-foot-4 phenom is averaging 27.5 points in the Finals, but he's only shooting 40.5% on 21 field goal attempts per game. Compare that to his previous 17 playoff games where he was averaging 23.2 points on a much more efficient 51% shooting, taking only 15.2 shots per night. His shot volume is way up, but the consistency is nowhere to be found. He took eight shots in the first half of Game 1, then just four in the first half of Game 2! Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson wasn't mincing words, saying, "I have to make sure there's environments that the ball finds him. There are times I think when he was open on rolls or around the paint and his teammates have got to give him the ball. But yeah, four shots in a half on this stage is not acceptable." Wembanyama himself admitted, "We need to capitalize, actually use all the efforts we used. It felt like we did a lot, we did a lot of things wrong. But we also were relentless and kept pushing, but kind of wasted that effort." The Spurs are only the third team ever to lose the first two games of the NBA Finals at home, and the other two, the 1993 Phoenix Suns and 1995 Orlando Magic, both lost the series. History is NOT on their side. Game 3 Monday night is going to be electric. Can the Knicks keep their insane run going and push for a title in front of their home crowd, a moment that hasn't happened in New York since 1999? Or will the Spurs find a way to unleash Wembanyama and pull off a comeback that would be absolutely unprecedented in NBA Finals history? You know I'll be glued to the screen, cheering on every play. Let's see if this series gets a whole lot more interesting, or if New York starts planning a parade.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.