NEW YORK – It was the perfect setting for the New York Knicks, the league’s king-in-waiting, and the NBA itself.
And on Christmas Day, of course.
While the NFL continues to claim territory generally respected and reserved for the NBA, it has the added advantage that every regular season game means something. The advantage the NBA has is that a regular-season game feels like everything in the moment, even if that means less in the grand scheme of 82 games.
But for two hours, it can feel like an NBA Finals if the investment is there, especially with the backdrop of Madison Square Garden and desperate Knicks fans.
Victor Wembanyama was majestic and Spurs are getting closer to being a team worthy of his talent, worthy of constant attention on the national stage. They seemed fun, taking advantage of their athleticism and coming out on the fast break many times to catch the Knicks off guard.
“Fun” has never been high on the list of adjectives during their successful eras, but hopefully that will change.
“I thought his approach was excellent,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said of the position with Gregg Popovich recovering from a stroke in November. “I didn’t feel like it was going to be a big moment. I thought the energy and excitement was positive. I thought they felt like they were right where they were supposed to be. And I thought they played like that.”
Wembanyama was not impressed by the Garden; In fact, he seemed to rise to the occasion: the only thing missing was a last-second opportunity and the ball in his hands with the possibility of extending the afternoon by five more minutes.
Even though he and his teammates failed to grab a rebound on the final possession, succumbing to the Knicks’ determination and grit in a 117-114 loss, Wembanyama and the Spurs performed well on Christmas Day.
Had Wembanyama’s three-pointer not been called back midway through the fourth quarter due to an off-ball foul, the future would have been the present, best for Adam Silver as he scored 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists. four blocks and many more changed shot attempts.
The 42 was just shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s Christmas debut record of 45, but it’s not necessary to set a record to commemorate this occasion.
It is ready to be displayed, the heir to everything that the gray-bearded still retain. Wembanyama is ready to take it from the majestic torchbearers: LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
“Tonight just showed that we are not ready yet,” Wembanyama said. “I’m sure we see it working and we’ll get addicted to the stuff. It is a great effort, but also a great reward.”
The Spurs are not ready, but he is. And the Spurs are at .500, hot on the heels of the older Lakers and Warriors, which means more room to grow this season.
And although he is just over a week away from being able to drink legally, Wembanyama speaks with maturity and confidence, being fully aware of the moment and taking full advantage of the opportunity to announce his candidacy to the world.
He hit shots so devastatingly that it looked like he was a goalie, only to have it reversed on reviews. There were long-limbed offensive rebounds and follow-up dunks on play defenders who couldn’t help but be helpless against the 7-foot-4 wonder.
“It’s a game of anticipation, trying to read the opponent,” Wembanyama said. “It’s a very interesting part of the game. I have a lot of opportunities to block guys, but these guys don’t have a lot of opportunities to make layups against me.”
The temptation is to fantasize about Wembanyama being somewhere else, in a larger market where a window display on Christmas Day is one of many for the casual fan, to see him on billboards with his arms outstretched, so that he has his “Hello World ” by Tiger Woods. ” moment.
But there’s nothing wrong with Wembanyama being in San Antonio, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being in Oklahoma City, or incoming Cooper Flagg ending up in Salt Lake City: the young superstars (or presumed superstars in Flagg’s case) They are in small markets.
But the league should no longer allow the tired old excuse that those well-run franchises don’t let the public get to know their transcendent stars. There are arguments for small markets complaining about the advantages of Los Angeles and New York, but those same franchises benefit from the revenue increases provided by the major franchises, and because of this two-apron-with-salaries system, the balance will be as even financially as each franchise wants it to be.
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That said, those franchises can’t play both sides of this. They have to participate in the growth of this league, or at least in maintaining the space it has in the American lexicon. The NBA cannot afford to have franchises sit on the sidelines, almost resentful of the league office in some circles, while they pocket their bread.
There are too many withdrawals and not enough deposits for the present and future of the league, and fans will not invest in new stars unless they feel they know them in some way. Behaving as if players have state secrets and are not in the entertainment business can no longer be considered “cute.”
You can’t sell mystery in an 82-game season, not across the board when many fans are already investing their hopes in their own home markets. Wembanyama is experienced enough, with all his experience playing in his native France, to handle the attention that has engulfed many before him.
Zion Williamson and his body were not ready to be the next big thing. Ja Morant is still rebuilding his reputation after his mistakes a couple of years ago. That leaves Anthony Edwards as an authentic face… and Wembanyama.
The public should be aware of Wembanyama, and the NBA should aid and abet on that journey, because it is critical in determining the future of the league.
It’s no secret that one of the reasons for the Golden State Warriors’ popularity was not only their excellence on the court (hint from the NBA: America loves basketball dynasties, not parity), but there was also a feeling of proximity with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson. and, for a time, Kevin Durant.
We didn’t see the players naked, but rather as three-dimensional figures with real stories, real quirks, and personalities; not carefully curated Instagram posts that show a lot but say nothing. The gift of the NBA is that the players don’t have helmets and you see them everywhere because it’s an 82-game story waiting to unfold.
But players have to be characters with character, not afraid to be themselves and not prefabricated images that they think corporate America wants, because, as we are seeing, that is not the case.
It’s not just the game that needs examination, because there are so many extraordinary, versatile athletes who do unimaginable things every night, including Wembanyama, who can easily notch 12 blocks and 12 three-pointers in a two-game span like he did against New York and Philadelphia .
Too many three-pointers are being taken and too much creativity is undermined by the multitude of analysts having too many seats at the table. But beyond that, there are other factors that require attention, or at least recognition by all observers.
Commissioner Adam Silver finds himself in an unenviable situation. Franchise owners paid big when more teams appeared to change hands than at any other concentrated time in league history. Owners not only want to make money and have it guaranteed, but they also want an NFL-like system where they have a chance to win every year.
Having that as a goal, combined with maintaining the attention spans of anxious viewers, creates conflict with each other.
Silver works for the owners, but honestly, he should think he works for the public, because their support and interest keeps the game growing, or his disinterest will put Silver in the crosshairs.
Since 2010, 16 teams have changed hands. That’s more than half the league. Although the late David Stern was still in power then, everyone knew Silver’s time was coming, and subsequent collective bargaining agreements were spearheaded by Silver.
Achieving all the goals, financial and symbolic, does not seem possible, but getting there requires a deft touch and agreement from all parties on the common good.
The players certainly haven’t done their part, as it’s all tinged with a “you can’t make me” sentiment, with no thought to how the game grew to a place where exorbitant salaries are the norm and not reserved for players. a few special ones.
Players don’t even try in the All-Star Game and pretend as if we don’t have decades of data showing that players exceeded the very low expectations of the league’s marquee weekend.
It has become unbalanced and that is why so much attention is paid to ratings, television giveaways and “who’s next?” discussions.
However, for one glorious afternoon, America could see the long, smiling future, and it is up to the NBA to cultivate Wembanyama’s momentum.
The future depends on it.