Victor Wembanyama on critical Game 2 turnover that bounced off Stephon Castle's back: 'I threw that one away'

Victor Wembanyama bounced back from a slow, sometimes passive start Friday night to help lead a 14-0 run and get the San Antonio Spurs back into Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

Then, with one miscue in the final seconds, that effort was all for naught. With the game tied at 104 and fewer than 15 seconds on the game clock, Wembanyama rebounded a Jalen Brunson miss, and the Spurs had the chance to hold for the final shot against the New York Knicks.

But he passed the ball upcourt directly into the back of his teammate, Stephon Castle, who wasn’t looking for or expecting the ball. The ball bounced off of Castle’s back and into the hands of Brunson, whom Wembanyama immediately fouled.

Brunson hit 1 of 2 free throws to give the Knicks a 105-104 lead with 9.5 seconds remaining. That score stood as the final after Wembanyama’s jumper on the other end hit the back of the rim in the final second of regulation.

After the loss, Wembanyama was asked about the pass. He offered a blunt, self-critical response.

“I threw that one away,” Wembanyama said. “I messed up. We didn’t play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it’s done.

“Am I gonna regret it? Yes, of course. Am I gonna use that to fuel me and to fuel us next game? Absolutely.”

That’s an honest answer in response to a micue that has the potential to cast a shadow over his remarkable breakout NBA season. Wembanyama has established himself not only as the force of the future in the NBA, but the force of the present in leading the Spurs to these NBA Finals ahead of schedule

But history dictates that Friday’s Game 2 loss is a hole from which the Spurs won’t dig out. No team has lost the first two games of the NBA Finals at home and rallied to win the championship.

Wembanyama is surely aware of this. And he’s aware of the magnitude of his fateful pass that bounced off Castle’s back.

Wembanyama also addressed a topic that’s been the subject of conversation since San Antonio‘s Game 7 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference finals.

Wembanyama and his teammates were exuberant in celebrating the win over their rivals and the reigning NBA champions. Their reaction led some to wonder if the Spurs left enough in the tank for the New York Knicks.

Now that they’re in an 0-2 hole, those questions are resurfacing.

“We need to never get too high and never get too low,” Wembanyama said. “Personally, I think I could have been better in recovering from the high of the conference finals.

“I mean, here we are. We can’t change the past now. We’re already focused on Game 3.”

It’s a pragmatic response from Wembanyama, who knows that the Spurs are battling history and that focusing on Game 3 is their only shot at overcoming it.