With roughly 10 seconds remaining before the end of the first half, chants from Knicks fans echoed inside Madison Square Garden Monday night (June 8) for Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs.
“F— you, Wemby!” they yelled in unison. “F— you, Wemby!”
While the Knicks were about to go into halftime up seven points, the animosity toward Spurs’ superstar Victor Wembanyama was palpable. Wemby had stepped onto the floor and played the first two quarters with confidence and poise that suggested he wasn’t intimidated by the hostile environment.
The second half would prove equally effective for Wemby as he led his team to a 115-111 win and finished the game with 32 points on 11-for-18 shooting (61%), eight rebounds, six assists, two steals and three blocks. In doing so, the Spurs snapped the Knicks’ 13-game winning streak, the second-longest in NBA postseason history, and guaranteed San Antonio at least one more game on their home court.
When asked after the game if becoming New York’s newest villain was the ultimate compliment, Wemby smiled but was modest.
However, if the Spurs tie the series Wednesday night (June 10) and return to San Antonio for Game 5 with momentum, Wemby could start to resemble a Gotham City villain pulled straight from the pages of a comic book.
Here are five likely reasons Knicks fans hated Wemby in Game 3.
Knicks’ fans know there is no one in the universe who can stop Wemby at the rim. So, when he attacked early and scored all four of his first-quarter baskets in the paint, they knew they were in for a long night. “We’ve never told Victor, ‘Don’t shoot an open three-point shot … if it’s early in the game,’” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the game. “But we wanted to put pressure on the paint and put pressure on the rim.”
Late in the first quarter, Wemby and Knicks star Jalen Brunson got under each other’s skin. Wemby took exception to Brunson sneaking a pull on his jersey and responded by pushing him down on the back of the head. Brunson sprung back up and pointed at Wemby, who smirked at the exchange. Brunson didn’t pull at Wemby’s jersey for the rest of the game.
With four minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Spurs up eight, Knicks guard Landry Shamet thought he had a step on Wemby, only to learn the Alien is always present. Shamet’s quick scoop to the basket was erased by Wemby, who moved into the top five all-time for most blocks in a single postseason with 70. “Victor was there, obviously, to do what he does best and clean it up at the rim,” Johnson said. “It was a huge stop. We needed it at the time.”
With 1.2 seconds left on the shot clock in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, Wemby found his “Area 51” teammate Stephon Castle beyond the arc for a clutch three that pushed the Spurs ahead by seven. Wemby’s six assists in Game 3 tied his postseason high (Game 2 vs. the Thunder).
Knicks fans were ready to celebrate the team’s first NBA Finals game in Madison Square Garden in 27 years. All the celebrities were out – from Ben Stiller to Jay-Z – and the arena was buzzing. But the Spurs had a lot more fight in them than Knicks fans expected. Put away the brooms, Knickerbockers faithful. There’ll be no sweep for you.