Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama Gambled His Aura One Too Many Times

There’s no denying that San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is poised to become one of the faces of the NBA for many years to come. But right now, he should probably stop talking.

At just 22 years old, Wembanyama finds himself in his first NBA Finals. That’s an impressive feat for any player, let alone somebody leading the youngest team in the NBA to the championship round at his age.

Unfortunately, the international superstar finds himself in a 3-1 deficit against the New York Knicks, who need one more victory to end a 53-year championship drought.

“Everybody knows we’re gonna do it,” Wembanyama said about the unlikely comeback. “I feel like we need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time.”

Only one team in NBA history has come back from down 3-1, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors.

It’s wildly unlikely that the Spurs will be able to become the second team to do so. Just don’t tell that to Wembanyama.

In the 2016 NBA Finals, LeBron told the Cavs they just needed to win Game 5. Draymond Green was suspended for that game after accumulating his fourth flagrant foul in that postseason. Yet still, it took 41 points a piece from LeBron and co-star Kyrie Irving to lift the Cavaliers over the Warriors in Game 5.

From there, the Cavs were able to win Game 6 on their homecourt before taking care of business and beating the 73-9 Warriors in Game 7 to complete the greatest NBA Finals comeback in NBA history.

Wembanyama thinks it would be a mistake to waste San Antonio’s energy focusing on multiple games. But the Knicks only need one more victory, and their last one was as improbable as we’ve ever seen in the NBA Finals.

In Game 4, the Spurs were up 29 points and had a chance to even this series at two games a piece. Then, the comeback happened. New York erased their fifth deficit of 20 points or more over the last two postseason runs, proving that they’re the real kings of comebacks in the NBA.

The Spurs absolutely wasted an opportunity to even the series, and now find themselves on the brink of elimination in Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio. And they don’t have LeBron.

Only the Cavaliers have done it. 38 other teams have tried and failed to come back from a 3-1 lead in the history of the NBA Finals.

Maybe one day Wembanyama can accomplish some of the great things that LeBron has achieved in his 23 NBA seasons. But right now? It’s completely outlandish to predict a historic comeback.