The San Antonio Spurs entered the NBA Finals with one of the biggest advantages in the league in Victor Wembanyama. And until they lose in Game 5 against the NY Knicks, that advantage gives them an edge. Facing elimination, the writing on the wall could not be clearer for them: there’s no margin for error. However, what happened after the Spurs’ disastrous Game 4 collapse, former NBA Champion Kendrick Perkins believes, could be enough to turn their frustration into fuel.

“They were demoralized,” Perkins said on the Road Trippin podcast alongside Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye. “They had their heads down. I saw (head coach) Mitch Johnson walking out of the tunnel. I passed him, spoke to him. He was deflated.

“And then all of a sudden, these idiots in the streets decide to throw eggs at Wemby. Why would you wanna add fuel to the fire?”

Wednesday night’s horror didn’t end for Wemby inside the MSG. Even as he was entering his hotel surrounded by security, one egg went flying across him, but didn’t hit him. Within seconds, another came and hit a street sign right next to the Frenchman. However, he didn’t look back to see what was happening.

After all, the Knicks fans swarmed the hotel, which was just a few blocks South of MSG. According to ESPN, an NYPD spokesperson said they had nothing on file about the egg incident. But the pelting wasn’t the storyline here. Perkins is absolutely right about what this incident just might have done.

“I get it, the fanbase was fired up. But why in the f*** would you wanna add fuel to that fire and poke that bear? The San Antonio Spurs in that locker room, they say that right there pissed them the f*** off. They would never say it publicly, but I’m telling y’all, the information is real.

“They are pissed off behind that, and they are ready for tomorrow night’s action. I’m telling you. A level of physicality is gonna be there, a level of passion is gonna be there, and a sense of urgency. Their pride is on the line.”

The Spurs already won Game 3 when everyone thought the Knicks would have a clean sweep. That already puts enough pressure on a Knicks team that understands how quickly gears change and the situations can flip. The worst part is that they now travel to San Antonio, the home of the Spurs, where they might be more comfortable taking the win. And Perkins knows it all too well.

He dialled the clock back to the 2015-16 regular season and recalled a moment involving former Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry.

“Y’all know Alvin Gentry, right? And I was in with the Pelicans. Coach Alvin Gentry, we was playing LeBron, the Cavs,” Perkins recalled the regular-season game from December 4, 2015. “It was a close game in the fourth quarter. A fan started talking sh*t to LeBron. Gentry ran his a*s to the fan and said, ‘Shut the hell up because you’re not the one that has to guard this man in between the lines.’”

After all, Coach Gentry’s action did pay off, as the Pels secured a 114-108 win in OT. While that was a regular-season game, the inspiration for motivation can come from anywhere. Perkins drew parallels between the two incidents and added that the Spurs have taken it personally, and it would reflect in Game 5.

Wemby shrugged off the incident, but Perkins used the Gentry anecdote to make something very clear: fans should avoid giving great players like Wemby extra motivation. He believes the egging incident has united the Spurs locker room and paved the way for more intensity.

Victor Wembanyama warns Knicks despite facing elimination

Even with San Antonio trailing 3-1 in the Finals, the Frenchman sounded confident about going three for three.

“Everybody (Spurs) knows we’re gonna do it,” Victor Wembanyama said ahead of Game 5. “I think it’d be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”

New York City’s fan frenzy has become one of the talking points of this postseason. They waited 27 years for a Finals appearance and over 50 years for a shot at the ring. The desperation is felt. However, at times, it crosses the line.

Especially on Game 4, during the final possession, cameras caught two fans cramping Dylan Harper’s space as he inbounded the pass for the game winner. He dished out an awkward pass. Now, with a 3-1 record, the Spurs may not appear as the favorites, but the games tell a different story.

For most of the series, the Spurs held the lead and sat in the driver’s seat before the Knicks snatched it in the fourth quarter. In Game 4, they blew a 29-point lead. A great example of how the series has gone so far. The Spurs have to take some optimism out of it and fix their closing-out issues to extend their series and keep their hopes alive.