After Game 3 loss, Victor Wembanyama took accountability and vowed he would be better. The result showed tonight when the French center had 22 points in the first half. All the dominant performance is down to the discipline routine of the San Antonio Spurs superstar, which many won’t believe. Playing the first full season with Silver and Black, De’Aaron Fox had a similar realization.

“Everything that you hear about Vic is true,” Fox said after Game 4 on NBA Showtime. “He don’t want to see blue light after like 9:00. He reads books. He’s not on his phone. Like real. Like this is real.” Even former players turned analysts Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Carmelo Anthony were caught off guard by Wemby’s approach to avoid blue light. Fox would double down and detail the process.

“When we had a games that end close to midnight, he come in the locker room with blue light glasses on. ‘I got to get ready to get my recovery.’ Like he’s like that, like a 22-year-old doing the things that he does, and he truly loves the game. He truly takes care of his body. And out of all the things that he does in basketball, he’s a better person.”

The practice to avoid blue light is to not disrupt his sleep cycle. Reports suggest blue light causes eye strain and even suppresses melatonin. This is the long list of disciplined approaches that Victor Wembanyama underwent to finally play in the playoffs. He had several days of training in a monastery in China to help him strengthen his mind. Then learning from legends like Jamal Crawford on footwork and guard-like mobility, plus from Hakeem Olajuwon on guarding positions 1 through 5 with total freedom.

All of it helped as Victor Wembanyama finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, two steals, and three blocks in 31 minutes. He even sat out the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter in the blowout win. His performance on Sunday helped him join the ranks of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players in league history to average at least 30 points and 10 rebounds through their first four games in the conference finals.

Victor Wembanyama remained nonchalant after the win

The Spurs also became the first team to hold the Thunder below 100 points in this season’s playoffs. San Antonio started Game 4  hot and went on a 16-0 run that gave them a 23-8 lead with 4:19 remaining. Even the head coach tipped his hat for his DPOY for leading the team. “I think our competitive response all year has been pretty good,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said, crediting his 22-year-old superstar, “and (Wembanyama has) been at the forefront of that … I think, tonight, he felt … an obligation to set a tone for us.”

While Wemby scored game-high points and etched his name in the legends, he remained focused on his team.  “We didn’t do anything unexpected. But the truth is that we’ve never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama stated. “It was our first deficit in a playoff series, and we just responded. It was nothing amazing; it wasn’t magic. We just did what we needed to do. The series is far from over. We’ve got six more wins before we can rest.”

Game 3 was a loss, which even led to former head coach Gregg Popovich rushing to the locker room to send a stern message. And the Spurs responded the way that would have pleased the 77-year-old.