3 Fixes Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs Must Make to Beat Knicks in Game 2

Game 1 did not go as planned for Victor Wembanyama and his teammates, as the New York Knicks overcame a deficit to win the first battle in front of the San Antonio Spurs faithful.

The game displayed what was missing between the two teams. First off, the difference in fatigue was evident, as the away team looked fresh in comparison to their opponents.

The excuse here is that the Spurs are just coming off a six-game series in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and then a much more grueling down-to-the-wire seven-game Western Conference matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

In that series, their opponents turned up the physicality after Victor Wembanyama‘s sensational Game 1 performance. That saw his production dip.

If not for some Gregg Popovich motivation, they may not have been able to upstage the defending champions. But all of that has led them to enjoy just three days’ rest compared to the Knicks, who enjoyed more than a week off.

But fatigue was not the only glaring problem in Game 1. The Knicks utilized some tactics that saw the Spurs struggle to cope in the latter stages. If they are to avoid losing Game 2 and even a chance to win the 2026 championship, they need to deploy these fixes.

Create a new game plan for Victor Wembanyama

In Game 1, the Knicks used a simple strategy. They tasked Karl-Anthony Towns to draw Victor Wembanyama away from the paint.

This tactic helped them in two ways. On one hand, the 7’4″ center was draining energy trying to follow KAT on the perimeter. That explains why he was struggling with his shots later in the game. Secondly, the Knicks center defended well in one-on-one situations. These two situations combined left the Frenchman with an appalling 6-21 effort from the field.

If the Spurs are to avoid this from repeating, they have to devise a way to avoid Wembanyama getting dragged all over the court. Zone defense, or even enhanced switches with other players, can keep him inside the restricted area.

Tiring him out early won’t help the Spurs’ chances, as they need Victor Wembanyama’s defense to keep the likes of Jalen Brunson from driving inside and drawing fouls or scoring at will, as he did in Game 1.

Either force Jalen Brunson to dominate the scoring charts or force him to give up the ball

On the topic of Jalen Brunson, there has been enough evidence in these playoffs that he can target opposing defenders in isolation and win almost every single time.

Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle are very good perimeter defenders, but the Knicks’ point guard is playing at another tier. Keeping up with him is tough. Therefore, head coach Mitch Johnson has to decide whether he wants his top two guards to expend energy trying to slow Brunson down or conserve it for later.

If the Spurs allow the Knicks’ superstar to score at will, they can focus on stopping the others. That way, it will almost become a five-on-four approach.

Against the Thunder, the Spurs did not do that, even though Shai Gilgeous-Alexander presented a tough matchup. Therefore, they could also try to utilize that defensive scheme to keep Brunson in check and force him to give up the ball.

But none of this works without Victor Wembanyama manning the middle. Only then can his long arms come in handy, as they need to avoid the Knicks’ driving into the paint at will.

Conserve energy by bringing in rotational players

The San Antonio Spurs have a deep roster. But the New York Knicks are deeper. Sure, they have an otherworldly player in Victor Wembanyama, but their opponents have enough firepower to counter him.

If the former want to stay in this race to win the NBA championship, it has to come down to how experimental the West Champions are willing to be. It so happens that currently, the New Yorkers are well-rested and have momentum on their side. The Spurs have to think differently.

They can do that by deploying some of their role players with specific instructions to wear down their opponents. Or, get creative on how to confuse the Knicks and allow the Spurs’ starters to feast.

It is similar to the Blitzkrieg style used by the Detroit Pistons’ 2004 championship-winning team, which ousted a Lakers team comprising of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton, amongst others.

If the Spurs are to create chances for Victor Wembanyama to lead his teammates into battle and win four games, they must regroup and figure out how to do so. Otherwise, the Knicks could just romp away towards their first title in more than five decades.

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