SAN ANTONIO — As Victor Wembanyama ducked under the awning and triumphantly emerged from the tunnel for his pregame warmup ahead of his playoff debut — an entrance that would make Shawn MIchaels proud — the warm embrace of Frost Bank Center became a stage for the arts.
At the same time that a sea of proud onlookers whipped out their phones ready to document a piece of history, Spurs legend Manu Ginobili, tucked away in the southeast corner of the arena with his son, reached for his own mobile device as his smile widened in length.
At that moment, Ginobili wasn’t one of the most decorated figures in the franchise’s illustrious history. Nor was Tim Duncan or David Robinson. They were family members and friends alike, gathered in the house that Gregg Popovich built to see one of their own walk across the stage.
“The first time I stepped on the court for warmups, I felt the atmosphere,” Wembanyama said following the Spurs’ 111-98 Game 1 win over the Blazers. “It was different. Everybody’s ready. The fans are ready. It’s probably the most excited I’ve seen this area, this arena.”
By the time Wembanyama walked off the floor in the final minute to a sea of roaring, rising cheers, the game already decided long before, the Frenchman’s stamp on the evening — and perhaps the series — had been made: 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting in 33 minutes to go along with five rebounds and two blocks. A Portland bench stunned, confused and dazed. In some ways, it felt like a coming-out party. In other ways, it simply felt like a reminder; a continuation of a regular season lost in superlatives, new heights and records. A 22-year-old isn’t supposed to command a five-man group, let alone a gathering of 20,000 people. But this dominance, this elegance, is the new normal.
“I think that there’s an approach that we all have,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said, “in terms of an expectation of the level of preparation, detail, nuance, competitiveness, physicality, everything. And I think there’s a real desire from that young man to want to participate in that. This is his first playoff game and he has lofty expectations and goals for himself. Being in the playoffs is squarely a part of that so it’s good to get the first one and get that experience under your belt.”
The unfortunate truth for the Blazers, as they attempt to course correct to avoid an 0-2 hole, is that from a pure structural standpoint, there are a number of similarities between themselves and the Spurs. Both teams share a willingness to let it fly from deep (Portland is fourth in three-point rate, San Antonio is 14th.) Both teams also hunt shots at the rim, among the top seven in rim rate. The Blazers are ninth in pace and Spurs are 12th. And the two teams are among the league’s best in offensive rebounding — Portland being fourth, San Antonio being ninth.
But the difference, a 7 ‘4 shot-altering, three-level two-way wrecking ball, is an otherworldly distinction. It’s like saying the Earth and the moon are structurally similar, but one possesses an atmosphere and one doesn’t, therefore the difference between the sustenance of life and the absence of it altogether.
It also doesn’t help that Wembanyama took the Blazers’ biggest strength — their physicality — and turned it into a weakness. Portland attempted various coverages on the third-year big; Toumani Camara got the initial assignment, then Deni Avdija, Jerami Grant, Jrue Holiday, their two centers, the cameraman and the elevator attendant. Fronting him turned into laughable shots at the rim, whether they were outright dunks or fouls. Denying him underneath the arc allowed Wembanyama to put the ball on the floor and showcase his dribbling, sweeping his feet in rhythmic fashion en route to the rim. And keeping either Donovan Clingan or Robert Williams III on him behind the arc only dared him to shoot over the top — which he did (All five of his made 3s came against centers.) Portland’s roughhousing inputs were simply downloaded in Wembanyama’s megaprocessor and like Grok or Claude, information was stored for later.
“Of course,” Wembanyama said when asked if he knew of the Blazers’ physicality. “It’s their identity. Something to be expected and it’s also expected that they’ll double up on that in the next games, but we’re ready.”
Defensively, the story could have written itself. Portland shot just 42 percent from the field and 26 percent from three, but it was more about the shots they didn’t take. Wembanyam’s two recorded blocks don’t capture the full scope of decision-making by the Blazers. On one occasion, Grant’s whole existence was erased in one sweeping motion at the rim. In another, Matisse Thybulle drove along the baseline, saw Wembanyama’s shadow and completely changed his mind. That’s what Wembanyama’s lifeblood is. Not the erasure of shot — the erasure of thought.
Game 1 also reinforced that San Antonio is also more than just Wembanyama. During the regular season, Wemby was third in touches per game, fourth in time of possession. He never needed, nor asked, to dominate the ball, usage or shots. This win is not possible without Stephon Castle driving the boat, without Devin Vassell’s incredible third-quarter stretch, De’Aaron Fox’s consistent pressure and even Luke Kornet’s solid deputy display. The Spurs are a family concept, with Wembanyama as their centripetal force, that is ready for a deep run. Watch out.
“We’re locked in,” Vassell said. “We can clean up some stuff and I think we’ll be a whole better in Game 2…Everybody has each other’s back. It makes it easier to communicate in the game. All of us are like brothers off the court so it makes it easier to play on the court.”
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