The San Antonio Spurs were expected to end the New York Knicks’ scorching 11-game winning run. But the Knicks produced a stunning comeback to claim a 105-95 victory on the road and made it 12 victories in a row. While Jalen Brunson came alive again, Victor Wembanyama faltered on his NBA Finals debut. The Alien’s 6-for-21 warranted a stern warning from an NBA icon.

“You gotta do a better job of making adjustments. Yeah, San Antonio definitely has to. Coach said we got to get Victor the ball a little bit more inside, and for Victor, got to play better,” said Shaquille O’Neal. “You know, the way he played, yeah, not good at all. 6-for-21 is not gonna get it done. Shooting ten three pointers is not gonna get it done. So you’ve got to make some self-adjustments and some minimal adjustments, and you have to say, we cannot lose Game 2.”

Wembanyama did finish with a team-high 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, and three blocks. But his shooting was disastrous to say the least. He converted only 6 of 21 attempts, including just 2 of 9 from three-point range. To make matters worse, he also gave away possession six times.

However, for long stretches, it felt like Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs had everything under control. Spurs dominated the glass (54-49) and pace (15 fast-break points) but squandered a 14-point lead. That’s where the Knicks flipped the narrative.

Both teams finished with 11 made three-pointers, but the efficiency gap told the real story. New York reached that mark on only 36 attempts and shot 30.6%, whereas the Spurs needed 43 tries and finished at 25.6%. The visitors were also more efficient overall, shooting 41.5% on 39-of-94 from the floor compared to San Antonio’s 36.0% on 32-of-89. Meanwhile, Jalen Brunson & Co. thrived in the areas that usually play a decisive role in the Finals. They moved the ball better and also protected the ball far more effectively, committing only 8 turnovers against 13.

Those mistakes proved costly for the Spurs, leading to a 19-to-14 advantage in points off turnovers. The Knicks also generated 50 points in the paint compared to 42 and converted 88.9% of their free throws, while the Spurs converted only 80.0%. Add identical totals of 4 blocks and 23 fouls each, and the difference came down to precision.

Wembanyama averaged 23.3 points in the postseason heading into the finals. His playing time was rationed in the regular season as he averaged under 30 minutes a game. But the grueling post-season encounters are finally taking their toll. The Spurs roster has no prior finals experience and relies massively on Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and rookie Stephon Castle.

That efficiency gap ultimately delivered the 105-95 Game 1 victory to Mike Brown’s team. And now, this loss feels like an enormous missed opportunity for Wemby & Co. A win would have put the franchise in the driver’s seat from the outset. Instead, New York walked away with the upper hand and shifted the pressure firmly onto the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama’s honest take after Game 1 loss

Surely, ending the game with only 26 points was heartbreaking for the 22-year-old Spurs phenom. And therefore, he didn’t mince words while addressing the loss to the media. In fact, he took accountability for the loss. “I agree with the coach,” Wembanyama told the media. “It’s the same: Every team guards differently. I’m going to figure it out. I was bad tonight. It’s not more complicated than that.”

Speaking of the Knicks, Wemby said, “We let them get an offensive rebound, so that’s on us. After that, that’s an experienced team. They know how to play with momentum. We had the momentum until late in that game.”

The 7-foot-4 star also added, “That’s why I said we let that one go. It’s almost not like I have anything to figure out. It’s almost like I have to play normal, not even good [in Game 2]; it’s just [about] doing the right things enough. When we play bad, when I play bad, is when we shoot ourselves in the foot. This is why I’m not worried. We’re going to be so much better. I’m going to be so much better.”

Questions about Wemby’s side’s experience also come into consideration, given the magnitude of the event. Victor Wembanyama, however, sees no value in that explanation. For the Spurs star, the result came down to execution, not the spotlight attached to basketball’s biggest stage. And now he is clearly waiting for Game 2 to rewrite his story and possibly look eye-to-eye with Shaquille O’Neal.