It was supposed to be the coronation. The San Antonio Spurs, led by the most hyped rookie since LeBron James, had just slayed the Oklahoma City Thunder in a bruising Western Conference Finals. They had momentum. They had home-court advantage in Game 5. And they had a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter — again.
Then the Knicks did what they’d done all series: they chipped, clawed, and closed. New York walked away with a 94-90 win and the Larry O’Brien trophy, leaving the Spurs to stare at a summer of what-ifs.
This wasn’t just a loss. It was a pattern. Four of five games were winnable. Two — Game 2 and Game 4 — were effectively gift-wrapped. The Spurs’ offense, so crisp for three quarters, turned into a collection of clanked jumpers and baffling turnovers in the clutch. And the man at the center of everything? Victor Wembanyama. Again, he was the reason they were there. And again, he was the reason they left empty-handed.
Wembanyama’s canon event arrived early
Michael Jordan had the Bad Boys. LeBron had the Mavericks. Steph had early playoff exits. For Wembanyama, this series is the scar he’ll wear into his prime. He dribbled the ball off his own foot in Game 1. He threw a pass off teammate Stephon Castle’s back in Game 2. He missed two clutch free throws in Game 4 that swung the momentum back to New York. In Game 5, he watched Mitchell Robinson grab a critical offensive rebound off a missed free throw, then airballed a three with the Knicks up four and the clock dying.
The kid is 22. He’s already elite. But elite doesn’t mean immune. The Spurs front office gambled that Wembanyama’s gravity alone would be enough to win a title in Year 1. It wasn’t. And the lack of reliable frontcourt depth — someone to soak minutes so Wembanyama isn’t playing 40-plus in June — was exposed like a raw nerve.
The De’Aaron Fox question nobody wants to ask
When San Antonio traded for De’Aaron Fox last offseason, it looked like a heist. Four first-round picks and some spare parts for a former Clutch Player of the Year? Yes, please. They even locked him up with a four-year, $229 million extension. But after watching this Finals, the Spurs have to wonder: is Fox built for this?
In Game 4, he drove recklessly into OG Anunoby and coughed up the game. In Game 5, he scored seven points on 3-of-15 shooting. With the Spurs up 83-79 and 5:23 left, Fox missed every shot he took — all four — while the Knicks erased the lead. These weren’t forced looks; they were middling midrange jumpers, the kind of shots that look fine in November but get buried in June.
Maybe his ankle is still barking. The team hasn’t confirmed anything. But excuses don’t win rings. History is littered with talented players who shrunk on the biggest stage. Fox might be the latest name on that list. The Spurs have cap flexibility, young assets, and Wembanyama. The question is whether they’ll trust Fox to be the second star — or start looking for someone who can handle the fourth quarter without folding.
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