If Jared Weiss from The Athletic is right, this will be the game we remember for years to come, because it is the night Victor Wembanyama took his next step toward greatness.
With 11 ticks left in the game, the ball went into Wemby’s hands, a for a brief moment it felt like time stood still.
There were no unsure moves, there was not even a hint of unassuredness on the court. There was a calmness in the arena considering what a truly nail-biting situation it was.
But Victor Wembanyama put 18,000 people
at ease. And as soon as the ball hit the hoop, the collective of devout fans simultaneously screamed.
For the first time since the 2018-2019 season, the San Antonio Spurs are going to the playoffs.
There was more fandom on the court after the final buzzer. The team mobbed Wemby while he was roaring along with the crowd. The drum was immediately brought out and Victor launched into the Jackal-designed call-and-response-celebration that has become a new tradition at the Frost Bank Center. And then Keldon took the mic and got the crowd shouting “MVP” chants for Wembanyama. Finally, Wembanyama took the mic and lead everyone in night-ending “Go Spurs Go!”
In the postgame press conference, Victor broke down the shot:
“We ran the play and De’Aaron reacted well. I anticipated what the defense would do, so that told me what to do. In these situations, the key is not to overcomplicate…we hadn’t had this type of situation for a while and it was good test, and we passed it. It doesn’t mean that our game is perfect, far from that…
He broke down how the he looked at the eleven seconds as far as when to time his release allowing for optimum opportunity for a quick rebound or tip in if the shot was missed, and not to give the opponent enough time to get a shot off, which is exactly what happened.
“It’s a shot I’ve worked on. Our game plan is not inventing things, some things we’ve been working on. This shot especially is a shot I’ve been woking on with (Spurs Assistant/Player Development Coach) Tim Martin, five or six years ago, so it’s not something new.”
He admitted his only fear moving forward.
“I’m scared to become complacent.”
Mitch Johnson also addressed how he was facing the new reality of a playoff berth by stating “the North Star is just keep getting better,” allowing the moment to dictate the need. That statement comes from building trust with the team.
That trust was echoed by Keldon Johnson, the longest tenured member of the Spurs, who game shouts out to everyone in the Spurs organization from the front office to the coaching staff, teammates. equipment managers, videographers, through everyone who dedicated themselves to the picture. His passion was reflected in his relationship with Devin Vassell, who Johnson referred to as his “brother,” the guy who he calls after the game to discuss.
They have been partners in crime since 2020 when Vassell was drafted by the Spurs and KJ was kicking off his second season.
Now, after six years together, they will experience the postseason with the team that drafted them, the only NBA home they’ve known.
Johnson honed in on how what they have built is taking shape, and the hopes and dreams that were seeded as he entered into the league are now budding.
Keldon can feel it.
And if Keldon can feel it, then everyone can feel it.
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