The San Antonio Spurs have officially been ruled out of postseason contention. That said, this hasn’t prevented the team from upsetting some of the biggest powerhouses in the league. In what was arguably their best win of the season, Gregg Popovich’s boys came back from a 23-point deficit to defeat the Denver Nuggets. And it was all possible only because of the heroics of Victor Wembanyama. Following a game-winning performance, Wemby hilariously stated that Coach Pop knew that he was the boss.
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Coach Gregg Popovich has understandably been extremely cautious with Victor Wembanyama’s minutes. As seen all season long, Wemby is often rested even when he believes he’s fully fit to play. Hence, when asked if he’ll be able to play the final game of the season on Sunday, the 7ft 4” French phenom gave a nod. But at the same time, the 20-year-old was aware that Coach Pop could end up keeping him sidelined.
Question: “Pop had mentioned that depending on how many minutes you play tonight would determine whether you play Sunday. What is your side with that decision?”
Victor Wembanyama: “I’m sure it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, I’m gonna say I feel well – he might say no, he might say yes. But, I feel well. Even if I play 48 minutes I would’ve been ready.”
Sean Elliot, the San Antonio Spurs legend, jokingly pushed Wemby to let Coach Pop know who the “boss” is. Giving an equally hilarious answer, the rookie stated that the 75-year-old “knows already”. Take a look at the funny interaction after the game in the X[Formerly Twitter] post by Bally Sports.
Sean Elliot: “Victor, tell Pop you are the boss.”
Victor Wembanyama: “He knows already.”
Victor Wembanyama might’ve had a better performance earlier in the season. However, the impact that he had tonight allowed the Texas side to clinch their best victory of the year. Midway into the third quarter, the Spurs found themselves with their backs against the wall, trailing by 21 points. Then, in the next 170 seconds, the European sensation single-handedly changed the dynamics of the game. Between the 8:11 and 5:21 mark of the quarter, Wembanyama scored 17 points, cutting the lead down to just 8 points.
Coach Pop wouldn’t mind Wemby’s postgame comments considering the type of performance he had. Finishing the contest with a very impressive 34-point, 12-rebound double-double, per NBA.com, the 2024 Rookie of the Year frontrunner led the Spurs to their 21st win of the season, per ESPN.
While the victory doesn’t affect the Spurs in any manner, it just may have hurt the Denver Nuggets’ title chances. With the embarrassing loss, the Colorado side has tumbled down two spots in the West, now standing third in the conference.
With the Thunder (1st seed in the West) having a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks next (Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving likely to be rested), a win on Sunday will guarantee Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Co. the #1 seed in the West. Further, if the Timberwolves were to defeat the Phoenix Suns, they would clinch the #2 seed, leaving Nikola Jokic and Co. with the #3 seed.
Given how great just about all teams in the Western Conference have been this season, this alone could have some major effects on the difficulty of the Nuggets’ matchup in the first round. With the NBA Playoffs being a hard and fast affair, this could have serious ramifications on how much rest the team gets between series, and consequently, their level of exhaustion as they go further in the postseason.
