Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs have hit the ground running in the Western Conference Finals as they stunned the defending champions, the Thunder, in a 122-115 double overtime thriller on the road to steal Game 1.
The French star ended up third in the MVP race behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic, which seemingly did not sit well with him. Just a day after the announcement, he exploded in Game 1 and ended up with 41 points, 24 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks, going 14-25 from the floor (56.0 FG%) and 1-2 from beyond the arc (50.0 3P%).
After the game ended, a reporter candidly asked him if a competitor like him took it personally that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP award over him, and that fueled his motivation for tonight’s relentless attack on the Thunder.
“Yes, for sure, everything you just said,” Wembanyama admitted before diving into his feelings about Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP award.
“Feels like I still got a lot to learn, and I want to get that trophy many times in my career,” Wembanyama said as he tried to stay humble before making a bold prediction about his career.
Another reporter then asked the French All-Star if he felt after tonight that he is the best player in basketball right now.
“Do I feel like it right now? I feel tired. But it’s not a question I am wondering about right now. But we’ll see, the world is eight billion people, so that means eight billion different opinions.”
Meanwhile, the reigning MVP struggled to find his offensive footing tonight but contributed elsewhere on the box score. Gilgeous-Alexander finished the game with 24 points, 12 assists, five steals, and three rebounds while shooting 7-23 from the field (30.4 FG%) and 2-7 from beyond the arc (28.5 3P%).
Even the Spurs’ head coach addressed the chatter around Victor Wembanyama missing out on the MVP award before and after the win tonight.
“One hundred percent… if you’re a competitor, and you see another competitor get rewarded with what you want… that’s motivation,” said Johnson when asked after the game if the 41-point outburst tonight was fueled by coming third in the MVP race.
“I think Victor, being in the top three for his age, is remarkable. I also think very appropriate. It’s well earned. He’s done more than enough to earn that from the voters. I think Shai has had a remarkable year, a remarkable run, which extends past just this year, and I think the voters reflected that,” said Johnson when he spoke about Wembanyama before the game.
The 22-year-old is already putting up iconic performances in just his first-ever playoff experience, where he has already managed to lead his team to the Western Conference Finals.
Already, experts thought that Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs were the only team that could realistically stop the defending champions from winning back-to-back. But an angry Wembanyama could be a stuff of nightmares for Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.
