Victor Wembanyama is no stranger to bad nights. Staying down after one, however, is a different story. After being frustrated by Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson in Game 1. Shooting just 6-of-21 from the field and 2-of-9 from deep. The Spurs star took accountability and vowed to be better. Given his track record of bouncing back in these playoffs, most expected a dominant response in Game 2. But that response never came.

As Wemby’s struggles carried over, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith offered a ruthless diagnosis of the problem.

“Wemby’s in shock right now. It’s probably been a long time since he got his as- kicked like this,” Charles Barkley said on the halftime show. “Wemby’s spinning. He seems to run the ball all over the place. It’s a shock to his system. He’s too young to understand, ‘I got over it.’ But right now, he’s turning the ball over. He is so flustered right now. Listen, we can say what we want to—he’s 22. He’s only going to improve, but right now he’s being owned. The big KAT [Karl Anthony-Towns] is just taking him in the woodshed, plain and simple.”

Kenny used Anderson to illustrate the 7’4 “Aliens psyche: “He was a great, great player, but when he missed those free throws, he became in shock. We were so worried about Nick Anderson when we walked into that series. And throughout that series.”

“Kat has him in shock,” Kenny Smith added. “Yes, that’s it. A great player is in shock. Nick Anderson was a great player at that time. He became in shock.”

Karl-Anthony Towns walked off the Frost Bank Center court on Friday night having done exactly what he was sent there to do, and Victor Wembanyama’s buzzer attempt rattled long, sealing a 105-104 Knicks win and a 2-0 series lead.

The blueprint was simple, and it worked twice: make the 22-year-old feel every pound of the moment. 

Towns had held Wembanyama to a 2-for-11 shooting performance in Game 1, and in Game 2, he ran the same playbook back. The Spurs’ franchise cornerstone attempted just four shots in the first half, scored 7 points, and looked more like a player trying to survive a storm than one capable of controlling it.

When the player built to be San Antonio’s answer to everything doesn’t have an answer, everything else becomes harder. The Spurs shot 47% from the field, gave up 48 points in the paint, and fell one missed jumper short of forcing the series back to life.

Towns erupted for a game-high 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists to help New York turn a nine-point first-quarter deficit into a four-point lead at the halftime break. He finished with a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. 

Just like Nick Anderson’s four missed free throws were the turning point in the Magic-Rockets series featuring Smith back in the 1995 finals, Wembanyama’s lack of poise could be one in this game. Much like Chet Holmgren’s lack of confidence was one in the Conference Finals. 

It was evident in the clutch moments of this game as well. Wembanyama battled back into this game in the second half, exploding for 22 points, but when it was needed the most, the nervousness showed. With 13 seconds to go, Jalen Brunson missed a midrange jumper contested by Wembanyama, who grabbed a rebound. 

And a Spurs win seemed inevitable. However, as Victor brought the ball up to the court, he passed to Stephon Castle, who was not expecting it. It deflected off his back, and Brunson grabbed the loose ball. 

The Spurs’ big man looked dejected after he fouled Brunson. But they still had another chance to win the game. The clock was winding down, and Fox passed to Wembanyama for the winner. But it bounced off the rim, and the Knicks stole Game 2, 105-104. Surprisingly, the defender on Wembanyama during that play was not Karl-Anthony Towns but Mitch Robinson. 

Knicks Find Unlikely Hero on Final Play as “Right” Defending Forces Victor Wembanyama’s Buzzer-Beater Miss

Anthony Towns has done a stellar job defending Victor Wembanyama, and Barkley even predicted he would be the finals MVP. But when it mattered, the defender was different. It was a 7-foot Mitchell Robinson who was contesting Wembanyama’s final shot and forced the miss.

He essentially gave the Knicks the 2-0 lead. After the game, Knicks boss Mike Brown praised Robinson for his defense on the “iconic” Wemby. 

“At the end of the game, we put Mitch on him, and what I’m proud about more than anything is Mitch defended him the right way. He’s iconic. If he makes a shot, he makes a shot. You’re not blocking his shot, but you make him work,” Brown said in the post-game press conference. “You lead with your chest, you show your hands, and you embrace those details while trying to guard him and then box out.”

Robinson played only 14 minutes in this game, contributing 7 points and 3 rebounds. He was also unsure about participating in this game, coming off a pinkie injury from the Cavaliers series.

He played with a black wrap around his hand in Game 1 and contributed 2 points and 6 rebounds in 13 minutes. Now, he made some clutch plays in this game and is quickly becoming a dark horse for the Knicks in this series. 

“Just a heck of a job by Mitch guarding the most iconic player in the world on two possessions that could possibly win the game,” Brown further said.

The surface concern is Wembanyama’s offense. The deeper one is what Towns and Mitch are exposing: a star who hasn’t yet figured out how to impose himself when an opponent takes away his comfort. Wembanyama didn’t dress it up after the game.

“It’s very different from previous series,” he said. “It’s bringing us into difficult areas because they’re good players, he’s a good player [Karl Anthony-Towns]. We need to figure it out.”

Before this series moves to Madison Square Garden for Game 3, a building that hasn’t hosted a Finals game in over two decades, that figuring out needs to happen fast.