On the eve of the 2026 NBA Finals, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama reflected on the journey so far and the challenges still to come. While he was one of the first ones to celebrate leading the Spurs to the NBA Finals, that doesn’t mean he’s taking this series lightly.
In fact, ahead of Game 1, Victor made sure to give credit to the New York Knicks and acknowledge their hard work to get this far. He praised their fighting spirit and the culture of competitiveness that has defined them in the Jalen Brunson era.
“It’s a great team of experienced guys who are not here by chance, but by relentless effort over the years,” said Victor. “Very different career paths for all of them. They’re right where they are supposed to be, in my opinion. All of them are going to be super hungry.”
The Knicks haven’t made the Finals since 1999, and there was seemingly an endless stretch of losing and misery before they finally found their way back to contention. It started with the acquisition of Jalen Brunson, who was eventually joined by teammates Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart. Now, after going 53-29 in the regular season, the Knicks are in a position to bring a title to the city with just four more wins.
The only thing standing in their way is a young Spurs team with limited playoff experience. While they do have some veterans and NBA champions (Harrison Barnes and Luke Kornet), they are primarily a younger team, and most experts agree they are ahead of schedule. That’s what makes Gregg Popovich’s guidance all the more important, and Victor confirmed they spoke after he landed in San Antonio this week.
“I saw Pop right away when we landed,” Victor said, via Josh Parades. “The emotion was something I haven’t felt in a while. Coming back down is a challenge. We still need to really come back down to earth and realize we haven’t done the hardest part yet. The job isn’t done at all.”
Emotions were running high for the Spurs after pulling off the upset against the defending champs, but the Knicks will not go down easily. They are stacked, well-coached, and stuffed with stars who are hungry and desperate to achieve playoff glory. After going 12-2 through the first 14 games, they showed the world they are ready to win it all, but the job is not done yet.
For Victor and the Spurs, it’s important to recognize what makes the Knicks so special and come up with a cohesive plan to disrupt their schemes. With averages of 26.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game on 46.7% shooting and 36.9% shooting from three, Brunson’s performance will be huge, and the Spurs must find a way to contain his outside scoring.
Most importantly, however, the Spurs must approach the game with a sense of desperation that ensures they are never outworked on the floor. If they can match the Knicks’ hunger from Game 1, it will send a message that they won’t be easily punked, but they’ll need to back it up with execution to make it count.
