NBA: the Spurs in the storm, but Victor Wembanyama takes care of his statistics in Boston

Gregg Popovich didn’t do anything fancy. “Are you on drugs or something?” », he retorted to a journalist who tried to water down one of his questions, by mentioning a match played in the second half. “Come on, they kicked our butts!” “, he added. For once, the Texan coach did not hesitate to comment on his team’s shortcomings.

In the middle of all this, a Victor Wembanyama, admittedly imperfect, still scored a whopping 27 points in 26 minutes (10 out of 19 on shots, and 5 rebounds). Around him, only Vassell (21) exceeded the 10-point mark… That’s the whole problem with these Spurs where the French giant is the only one to show consistency. The observation is the same match after match.

“Pop (Gregg Popovich) pointed out to us at the end that we always need to be shaken to have a reaction, whereas it should come from ourselves,” reveals Victor Wembanyama. But I find that we are not far from competing with these best teams and against these best players. It’s a very strange feeling. »

If there is one who competes with the best, it is in any case him: during 8 of his last 9 meetings, he has remained above 20 points, adding to this table of statistics sometimes maddening in terms of blocks, passes or rebounds.

In Boston, a favorite for the title, the pre-match allows him to test his popularity: applauded during the announcement of the teams by the enthusiastic public, he notes that he has already become this curiosity that the American public wants to see his own eyes.

“I noticed that there were a lot of cameras on me during the warm-up, it’s just very funny how much I make fun of it all,” smiled the Frenchman after the match. I don’t pay attention to it. I’m made for this but it’s not what I like. I like sport, being an athlete. I try to be among the best and the best always get that kind of attention. »

“Are we already halfway there? »

He starts the match with his feet on the floor: an alley-oop on a pass from Sochan, a difficult three-pointer after a side step that suddenly silences the TD Garden, then a three-pointer, again, a few minutes later . In five minutes, he has already scored 10 points and grabbed 2 rebounds!

Defensively, he shows less impact than usual. He is moved by the young Portuguese pivot of the Celtics, Neemias Queta, who with a shoulder blow sends him on his buttocks to the ground. Jayson Tatum, the star of the Celtics, seems to have found the fault: twice, he manages to lob the French giant. Contrary to usual, the first half of the Spurs number 1 was more successful offensively (16 points) than defensively.

He continued his offensive harvest in the second half, mostly going for his points alone, near the basket. But in the middle of the third quarter, he had already lost four balls, his guilty pleasure.

The Spurs, well behind throughout the match, do not compete. Almost halfway through the season, they have a total of 33 defeats (in 40 games). “Are we already halfway there? asks Wemby, surprised. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, that it would take time to become a title contender. I am ready for any sacrifices. I’m patient but I don’t waste my time. I trust us in the long term. »

He will play Saturday against Bilal Coulibaly

During the last quarter, Victor Wembanyama continued to try to keep his team alive. He authoritatively counters Oshae Brissett, then he flies away to viciously flatten a ball in the basket above his alter ego Luke Kornet. At that moment we think we hear a murmur of admiration in the stands.

In the end, he played a good 26 minutes, after spending 27 on the Atlanta floor on Monday, a sign that the minute limitations imposed on him by the Spurs staff for a good month now are gradually being lifted. “He was limited to 24 minutes, it’s now 27,” recognizes Gregg Popovich, who confirms that he will not play during the trip to Charlotte on Friday evening.

The next day, Saturday, he will face his friend Bilal Coulibaly in Washington for the first time. “We met as kids, we had this crazy dream at the time, and we managed to break through here,” comments Wembanyama. I’m so proud of him. It’s going to be weird, that’s for sure. » Weird and all this without drugs!