\u201cI\u2019m still very blurry. That\u2019s the whole problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how Victor Wembanyama described himself in the immediate aftermath of Game 2, trying to get his head around the disastrous final few possessions that put the Spurs in an 0-2 hole. His head felt cloudy. He said at the time he needed to slow his mind down and get some clarity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe playoffs, it\u2019s like a \u2014 I don\u2019t know how to say that word \u2014 a whirlwind. It\u2019s hard to put your head out of the water,\u201d Wembanyama said of his headspace. \u201cSometimes I don\u2019t even go to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wembanyama took that time off before Game 3 and found his clarity sitting in Gramercy Park in New York on Sunday, sketching a picture of a statue (of Edwin Booth, legendary Shakespearean actor of the mid-1800s, although unfortunately for him, he is better remembered as the brother of John Wilkes Booth).<\/p>\n
\u201cI drew the statue in that park…\u201d Wemby said.<\/p>\n
Was the drawing any good?<\/p>\n
\u201cNot bad. Pretty good,\u201d Wembanyama said with a smile.<\/p>\n
His performance in Game 3 was more than pretty good.<\/p>\n
A clear-headed Wembanyama went out and scored 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, had eight rebounds and six assists, plus three blocks. He was the best player on the court.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Wembanyama powers Spurs to Game 3 victory<\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama comes to life on both ends of the floor to help the San Antonio Spurs win Game 3 in Madison Square Garden and cut the series deficit to 2-1.<\/p>\n Because of Wembanyama \u2014 and 23 from Stephon Castle on a bounce-back night for him, too \u2014 the Spurs have their first win in this Finals series, beating the Knicks 115-111 on Monday night. New York still leads the series 2-1, and Game 4 on Wednesday night becomes massive.<\/p>\n \u201cWemby played great,\u201d Knicks coach Mike Brown said. \u201cHe had probably seven lob dunks because we didn\u2019t follow attention to detail and try to take that away.\u201d<\/p>\n Getting to the rim<\/p>\n Mental clarity was part of it, but for San Antonio, it was also something simple (but not always easy to do): Getting back to what they see as their style of basketball. Their defense was connected and the best it has been all series, and they were aggressive at getting the ball into the paint and playing inside-out. <\/p>\n \u201cI thought we made some strides in terms of the ball movement and playing with our teammates, setting screens, trusting the basketball would find the right guy for our shot,\u201d Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. \u201cI thought we showed better poise at times.\u201d<\/p>\n San Antonio made a point of getting Wembanyama going at the rim early \u2014 his first four baskets came within four feet of the rim. However, it wasn\u2019t just him \u2014 Castle, Dylan Harper and De\u2019Aaron Fox all were touching paint on drives.<\/p>\n \u201cJust us playing to our strengths, not allowing [New York packing the paint] to stop our aggressiveness getting to the paint,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cJust understanding when we\u2019re being aggressive and touching the paint, it\u2019s not always for us to score. I feel like that opens up passing lanes and puts them in rotations. I feel like when we change sides and move the ball like that, especially after a paint touch, I feel like we\u2019re pretty hard to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n AREA 51’S FIRST NBA FINALS WIN \ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udff0<\/p>\n Wemby: 32 PTS First teammates, age 22 or younger, to score 20+ PTS in an NBA Finals game! pic.twitter.com\/hv50OVlSSR<\/a><\/p>\n
Castle: 23 PTS<\/p>\n