Victor Wembanyama’s Candid Admission Highlights Exhausting Defensive Test Against Knicks’ Dangerous Shooting Attack Ahead of Game 3
The New York Knicks have been a major problem for Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. In the first two games of the series, the Knicks have exploited the Spurs’ impressive defense. In the first three series that San Antonio played in, the team established a dominant force on the defensive end. However, their tactics have not worked against New York.
The Spurs have primarily used Wembanyama as a zone defender inside the paint. With his height, length and reach, he scares opposing teams from using the driving lane to generate easy points. Against the Knicks, however, the NBA star has become more active in following their outside shooters, removing himself from the paint.
Ahead of Game 3, Victor Wembanyama was asked about the challenge that the Spurs have encountered in facing the Knicks. Since he’s been everywhere on both ends of the floor, he hasn’t had a chance to take a breather when he’s on the court. However, he shrugged it off and is focused on finishing the task at hand.
“The challenge (has) been mostly about will, the will to do it, and I feel like I’ll take a breather at the end of the season,” Wembanyama said.
“The challenge been mostly about will, the will to do it, and I feel like I’ll take a breather at the end of the season.”
Victor Wembanyama on taking a breather and the challenge of defending the Knicks 🗣️
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/L8kykYS3xP
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 8, 2026
Wembanyama has done everything he can to carry the Spurs to victory. Over the past two games, he has averaged 27.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks. In Game 2, he had a chance to win the game for San Antonio, but missed a mid-range shot over Mitchell Robinson.
Despite the loss, Victor Wembanyama remains optimistic and focused on leading the Spurs to mount a comeback in the series.
Victor Wembanyama Embraces the Challenge of Being Down 2-0
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs fell to the Knicks even though they had home-court advantage in the first two games of the season. Despite being down, though, he remains focused on their mission to overcome a 2-0 deficit.
“This is everything that I wished for,” he said. “There’s really no reason to overthink it. This is what I’m built for.”
Wembanyama and the Spurs had some crucial mistakes in Game 2. However, they don’t want to live in the past and are willing to learn and move past it.
“It felt like we did a lot of things wrong, but we were also relentless and kept pushing,” he said. “I know it’s not wasted because our lessons are learned. I know we’re not going to make the mistakes of the past again.”
Game 3 will be at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
