Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs were forced to watch the New York Knicks celebrate a championship on their home floor at Frost Bank Center on Saturday night after falling 94-90 in Game 5.
The win secured New York’s first NBA title in 53 years, while Wembanyama and the Spurs were left devastated by the heartbreaking loss.
What Victor Wembanyama’s Brutal Finals Admission Reveals About the San Antonio Spurs’ Collapse
After the Game 5 loss, Wembanyama called it the “biggest learning moment of his life,” while revealing one aspect of the series caught him off guard.
“It surprised me that every game has the same scenario, every five games in the series have the same scenario, and how relentless we were in our mistakes, and they were in punishing them,” Wembanyama said in his postgame press conference.
Wemby on what surprised him:
“It surprised me that every game has the same scenario, every five games in the series have the same scenario, and how relentless we were in our mistakes, and they were in punishing them.”
— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) June 14, 2026
Wembanyama’s assessment accurately reflected how the series unfolded, as even in Saturday’s Game 5, the Spurs jumped out to a double-digit lead in the opening quarter.
However, just as in three of the previous four games, the Knicks fought back and ultimately secured the win.
After dropping Game 3 at home, New York responded with one of the most memorable comebacks in NBA history in Game 4, erasing a 29-point deficit to win.
The Knicks continued that trend on Saturday, rallying from 16 points down to claim another comeback win and seal the championship with a 4-1 series win.
As for Wembanyama, he struggled offensively during crunch time throughout the Finals.
As per Yahoo Fantasy Sports, in the fourth quarter during the series, the Frenchman averaged 7.8 points while shooting 34.3% from the field and 25% from 3-point range, finishing with a minus-20 plus-minus.
Victor Wembanyama in the 4th quarter of the NBA Finals:
7.8 PPG
34.3% FG
25.0% 3PT
72.2% FT
-20 +/-He scored 5 points in Game 4 and 3 points in Game 5. pic.twitter.com/oqXCzI9Gqc
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) June 14, 2026
However, Wembanyama remained a defensive force in Game 5, recording 5 blocks in a single half, marking the fourth time he has done so this postseason, level with Dwight Howard for the most such halves since 1998.
Reflecting on his first NBA Finals series, Wembanyama rued the missed opportunities to close out the games.
“One of many things I learned is the margin of error is very, very thin,” he said. “Our domination stints were absolute. We absolutely, absolutely dominated for most of the series, but our mistakes are punished so hard… we can’t have ups and downs like this… the ups are okay, the downs… is the reason we lost.”
Despite a disappointing ending, his first playoff run was historic, as he averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 3.5 blocks, and 1.0 steals, joining Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to post such stats while reaching the NBA Finals.
