Victor Wembanyama despite the refs in game 2: 21 PTS, 17 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 4 BLK
Victor Wembanyama despite the refs in game 2: 21 PTS, 17 REB, 6 AST, 1 STL, 4 BLK, 8-16 FG, 3-7 3P
Stephon Castle 25/5/8/1 10-17 FG, 9 TOV
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401873198
He got frozen out in fourth
Castle faking the pass to him just to toss the ball straight out of bounds on a miscommunication was terrible decision making.
They really do need to put him in action more. I get Wemby is amazing by himself, but they need to make things easier for him.
Which makes me think, in a world where you could put any 2 current players together, Luka and Wemby would be unstoppable. Luka would be throwing at least 10 lobs a game, that shit would maybe be the best duo of all time
Basically Magic and Kareem
This logic is correct…
For every center, so that it can make things easier for Wemby… Remember Playing both offense and defense is a super tiring one especially with how Wemby plays his defense, so to make things easier on offense side they need someone like what Magic is doing…
Luka would just be throwing lobs and then busting out a sun lounger at half court and letting wemby handle the defense
Reaves would be throwing that shit up like he’s passing to Lebron
Exactly what I was thinking. That duo would do wonders.
We’d gladly sign and trade Ayton for Wemby to make this a reality.
curry and wemby might be even better, purely because wtf do you do in a pick n roll, spam that 80 times a game
The gravity would be insane. You gotta double both of them, else you are cooked
both are unselfish, imagine if they both stand near half court 4 vs 1
youre totally right but people forget these are a buncha rookies.
The one to Champaignie? Idk kind of thought he needs to sit in that pocket. Down 5 with a minute you don’t need to gravitate towards the 3 especially when you’ve been off all game
I thought the same. There was a defender down. It should’ve been a layup to make it a 3 pt game
He was gassed. Settled for threes and barely attacked the basket in the second half. Hartenstein wasn’t holding him outside the three point line, he was just passive tonight.
I thought he looked gassed in the second quarter too, then refreshed in the third and gassed in the fourth again
He often looks gassed like that if he plays a lot of mins. Why I was surprised he did so well in double OT game 1. But yeah I think the hart hold strategy not only keeps him from making plays but also kills his stamina. Imagine trying to block a shot while pulling at 200 pounds with the other hand….
Nah he played lazy. Yes they were wrestling him, but the sign that he was dead tired is he was settling too much for threes and not even fighting for position on the rebound. He had a possession in the 4th where he had a 1 on 1 with IHart, he took two jab steps and passed it. Didn’t even challenge the defense
I mean he played like 40+ minutes last game. Massive jump from his season averages
He played like 48 minutes and carried the team both on offense and defense. No wonder he’s gassed.
He was dead tired because he spent the first half in a wrestling match with Hartenstein.
That was the whole point of Hartenstein. OKC figured that they could care less if IHart fouled out, as long as he was making Wemby’s life hell. Stuff like this has always happened to superstars. Like “Jordan Rules” that the pistons employed.
Wolves did it too. Wemby needs to learn a way to play through it or he’ll have issues
Yea this is how it’s going to be for every playoff series for the rest of his career. Teams are always going to be happy to let their mediocre centers foul out to get a Wemby level player off their game at all. Even if he wasn’t off his game tonight it’s worth it to physically exhaust him so maybe he’s off his game later in the series.
If SGA got the Wemby treatment from the refs, r/thunder would be on suicide watch
This game was insanely physical and he shot 6 free throws, 2 of which were from the extremely obvious over the back rebound play. He’s also getting bear hugged off ball constantly like prime steph. Neither team is giving the opposing star an inch to breathe and the refs aren’t calling anything off ball.
Yep SGA dealt with physical play too but it wasn’t to the same level that Wemby had to deal with. Hartenstein legit should’ve fouled out early.
Also look at the previous series and how the wolves were physical with Wemby. SGA would never get that treatment for a series. Refs will not allow it
Nah, he was tired from the jump. He had some spurts of activity here and there, but from the start u could see he was exhausted
You mean hugged to death?
Should’ve put an elbow in em lol
didn’t he learn kung fu?
MJ LeBron play through it thought he was the next goat?
So stupid
And they lost when defenders were allowed to club them. Ain’t nobody winning 5 on 8 you daft fuck.
Physical playoff basketball Wemby getting a taste of what comes with being great lol
Fair enough, FWIW he seems to handle it much better than spectators 🤣
Nah man I knows he’s gonna comeback for vengeance at home IHart ain’t ready 😂
7’6 centre can’t take physicality lmao
I like seeing physicality. Bumping bodies contesting shots. Good aggressive basketball. Literally hooking and holding back the center on every single play so he can’t help on defense is not just “physicality.” Plain cheating and getting away with it because refs are idiots.
That happens on every play for every team in the post. Wemby grabs too.
He was gassed
Gave up like 3 or 4 offensive rebounds to Hart in the 4th
He was tired, played a ton in game 1. He never plays that much.
He was visibly gassed which is why he was settling for 3s and didn’t have the energy/hustle on rebounds and defense. It’s why IHart was able to feast
Despite the refs 😭
No dog in this fight but what a salty ass title lmfao. NBA fans by far the most dramatic 😭😭
Jesus this sub is pathetic
It’s like I get this is a sub for all fans of every team, but now it’s like people act like they can’t even appreciate the fact that OKC is genuinely a good team. Every discussion now is that all they do is rely on the refs and SGA flops all the time. It’s like Jesus Christ, just watch the game. Like this team built from the ground up and traded their stars for a player who people couldn’t even had predicted he would be a Jordan level of a scorer. All the tanking these other teams are doing they would pray for this type of situation to happen to them.
Yeah its getting really old
People here genuinely think OKC is a bad team and solely win because of the refs. Like, I called this out in another thread and someone (another Lakers fan too) instantly got in an argument with me about how it was true and the Thunder aren’t elite at any aspect at the game so it doesn’t make sense that they win so many games.
Tbf I feel like it’s like that with every great team. When GSW were on their run people acted like it was because of moving screens etc. People are just salty and have a hard time appreciating things in real time. In 5-10 years the narrative will be that this OKC team was great because of SGA and their depth.
The entire front page is just non-stop complaining. There’s like one positive highlight from the game last night.
even as a fan of the spurs im tired of this shit. Sure refs were bad but im tired of everyone complaining
It really is. I thought OKC did a much better job game 2 due to, you know, being a good team. But we aren’t allowed to say that here.
Yeah I’m sure it’s the refs fault they had 21 turnovers lmfao
not gonna put his turnovers? cmon bruh
4 TO isn’t an awful showing for him tbh
Not when there’s an agenda afoot.
4 TO and youre whining?
It’s not exactly notable that he had 1 more turnover than he does in an average game
TOs aren’t really every notable in stat line unless someone has a lot of them.
4 TOs is a pretty normal number for high usage
His usage was relatively low though. Not very important but it didn’t help.
you’re acting like its Jokic lmfao
Despite the refs lmao. You gotta get a grip dude.
Spurs wins “greatest game ever”, Thunder win “refs”.
Ik u guys hate OKC, but game isn’t even egregiously reffed. The physicality they allowed is there since round 1. Stfu and enjoy the series.
OKC has exposed how cringe this sub is
Damn right. Mass psychosis
We are literally seeing how people fall for cults. Only seeing what they want. Only believing what they want.
Yep confirmation bias has done a number on this sub. It’s been wild to watch. Gets nuttier and nuttier every week. Feel like I’m on a Qanon sub at times lol.
We used to talk basketball in here
I don’t believe you
It’s true Sandy. The Harden “literally hitler” days are when people started posting specific low light posts. People caught on that they could be used to define a narrative and they got posted more and more. Before then it was just a normal sports subreddit. Yeah, people would bitch in the game threads about the refs, and yeah, people would say LeBron wasn’t a top 5 player, but it wasn’t this incessant rage fest that it is now.
They kept saying hatewatch. Damn right I am hate watching. I am rooting for OKC to win the series just so I can witness the meltdown on this sub
Despite the refs? Working opinion into a statline as hard as you can isn’t a good look
You peoples incessant wemby PR will make him very hated one day
Fr it’s starting to get annoying. I haven’t seen a single person mention how he keeps jacking up threes all game even though he’s 7’5. All these dudes wanna do is glaze him like crazy
Castle 20 TO 2 games holy shit
Despite the refs. 😂😂😂
Why would the refs throw the ball away? 🥺
The turnover down 5 was the back breaker.
I do think it’s funny though how many people have been shitting on fox all year. I bet they really wish he was playing these past two games
Well yeah their main ball handler is out.
give me a fucking break
You want to be the best in the world, you got to deal with the Jordan, Shaq, Lebron, Steph rules. Other team ain’t gonna let you just be tall and win the game.
When will SGA have to deal with the Jordan rules?
Depends on the Spurs. OKC adjusted and was more physical borderline dirty game 2 but you ain’t gonna stop an 8 foot alien by playing straight up, you put the pressure on the refs to make the call. Now it’s up to the Spurs if they want to toe the line and do the same or if they want to play “ethical”.
He was getting held all game too so…
Jesus yall really do ignore half a game don’t you
Shai had 30 “despite the refs”
Thunder driving at him more tired him out I think. He had less juice than in Game 1.
It was having to fight for position with IHart more than driving at him tbh, he didn’t contest nearly as many shots today as against the Wolves where they constantly attacked him at the rim. Today OKC tried to push him out of the paint as much as possible with IHart
Because Hartenstein was literally holding his arms and wrists when he would try. It was the entire game. He couldn’t contest shots because he was being held down the entire game.
Shai was being held by castle off ball all game and he still managed an efficient 30 I think Wemby just needs to be better
I miss Zach Zarba
He’s for nyc tmr
Alien was solid
he gas and didnt show up in the 4th. Stop making excuses
“Despite the refs” Shameless.
Hartenstein available next off season. Spurs should pursue him to be their enforcer. Kill two birds with one stone
If he keeps this play up, there’s going to be a lot of teams after him, with the Lakers at the front of that list.
Edit: also, that’s exactly what the 76ers did that one year with Horford.
What play lol. He wasn’t doing basketball plays out there. I get why they did it but I didn’t come away thinking he was amazing or anything. Any guy his size could just hold nonstop.
Wait is Wemby a bird or a stone
Both
he was good, just not best player in the world good, which is what they needed again
Clearly tired down the stretch after the first push in the 4th
The refs…it’s always the refs. NFL fans!
There’s no reason half his shots should be from three. The NBA is just too addicted to the three.
It’s not a coincidence that in games like Game 1, where he only takes 2 or 3, he’s unstoppable.
3-7 from three is pretty damn good for a 7’5 guy. It definitely puts more pressure on the defense.
No the pressure on the defense is him being in the middle and bending our D toward him all night to open their smaller guys. If Thunder want to win , 3 point shooting is exactly what they want to see, even if he makes them.
I get your point, but also they won game 1 largely bc Wemby sank a game tying 3 from the fucking logo with like 40 seconds left
It depends on how he is guarded. Against the Celtics in March he was left open the whole game and he went 8⁄15 from 3 and dropped 39.
Wemby hung out around the 3pt line for long stretches. He was gassed and the Spurs were trying to hide him out there. This is only going to get worse as the series progresses.
Wemby couldn’t have survived in the 80’s and 90’s NBA era . He would have been kicked, punched, and grabbed the entire game. People need to stop crying and making excuses.
I wouldn’t be too worried about the conditioning of a player in his 3rd year and first playoff run, especially when the commentators acknowledge he is already dealing with the Jordan rules.
People forget, but MJ didn’t win a playoff series until his 4th season and didn’t make the conference finals until his 5th.
the excuses are absurd and I am rooting for the Spurs
aww poor widdle wemby was too tiwered because he made to play a lot of minutes
ur mad
This title is peak r/nba
wah wah wah
OKC got the formula now, they gonna beat the shit out of him like they did to Jokic
Lmao
Hahahaahhaahahahahhaah
Bro, lets be real. I love Wemby and hate OKC as much as anyone else, but ge was almost peripheral in the 4th quarter on both sides of the ball. Apart from the pull up threes he missed, I barely even noticed him. he got no offensive rebounds and almost no paint touchs and or post-ups. Keldon Johnson was a bigger late 4th quarter player than him for the Spurs, and that was a big issue
It’s always hilarious when an team’s “adjustment” against a dominant C is to just be “extra physical” (i.e. foul the shit out of them) and hope it’s not called. It’s exactly what Dallas’ adjustment was to Big Zu 2 years ago, and it’s the same thing that just happened tonight against Wemby.
NBA doesn’t call off ball fouls so same tracks for dudes like Steph.
Literally watch every possession they tried to get SGA the ball in the 4th, like theres 5 highlights posted of SGA getting bear hugged and impeded and ran into with literal 0 fouls. Its playoffs basketball. This sub is just full of whiny bitches.
People want physical 90s basketball back until it’s against their favorite team lmfao
i’m fine with 90s basketball but then don’t call the flops on the other side.
Yeah ditch the pathetic flopping and I’m good with it. Flops are way worse than the physicality. The physicality only really gets annoying when OKC is getting their phantom calls.
Yeah, I’m not disagreeing with that. But when the adjustment is: “Just foul and hope it doesn’t get called,” then I’m not a big fan of that. I get that there’s holding that naturally happens a lot, but a C holding a C whenever the ball goes up is notably more impactful than holding a guard (which happens basically at all times) to ball deny them for 1.5 seconds which they still inevitably get anyways.
This is one of the more insane titles for a post game stats post lol
I’m not a fan of some of the things the Thunder do, but the hate is so far out of control at this point.
A Tony brothers game for sure. That said, why don’t we mention wemby holding Chet a bunch in the first game. And you’re probably not gonna watch castle hug Shai down the court either. Was Ihart handsy, yeah absolutely. Should the hair pull have been a tech, yes it should have. But there were missed calls everywhere, both sides. At the end of the day it’s the two best teams in the world, and I don’t want to hear the whistle anymore than needed. You won’t catch me complaining about the game one foul disparity because it happens. Y’all need to chill. You either want ref ball or you don’t. Also why doesn’t anyone take the 21 turnovers into account? *edited for spelling
The Spurs are stacked with talent but are also extremely young. Sometimes their youth shows more than their talent. It’s going to be a heck of a series.
Castle is fun to watch but also makes lots of mistakes. It’s nothing against him, he’s just a young player being asked to do a lot
This stuff will come in time but it’s been exciting to see them grow
Drew multiple holding penalties though!
Despite the refs + bad turnovers
Wemby and the Spurs ran out of gas a little bit and you can tell with some of his rebounding. A lot of it was teammates but crazy enough Wemby left some key rebounds on the table.
I did not expect the OKC adjustment to be even more IHart but it was effective
21/17/6/4 is a great stat line but for a team like OKC, Wemby has to do more especially in the later parts of the game. Even if they are putting him in a fucking armbar
Not his best game but still dominant despite the dirty play
Yall are a bunch of losers “despite the refs” is ridiculous cope, when he wasnt even bad overall
Just remember, when Wemby has bad stats, just add “despite the refs” to them and you’re good to go 👍🏻
It’s impossible for him to play anything less than historic unless the refs had something to do with it. /s
Funny though cause these stats are good
Despite the refs is diabolical lmao
Had an off game; felt non existent at times, missed open threes that could’ve changed the tide and had big trouble with Hartensteins physicality. Still almost a 20-20, he’s different.
The Spurs Wemby ethical wholesome chungus narrative that this sub has descended into is so fucking cringe, hoping for OKC in 5. I can only stomach so much collective dick riding. I want to see the collective meltdown from an OKC 2-peat.
Get us game 1 refs. We cant watch this
😭😭😭😭😭 that’s you OP
This guy is gonna average 20⁄20 this series…
Wet Bananas lost, therefore it’s the refs fault because my golden boy could NEVER do anything wrong in the game of basketball!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah it’s the refs fault Castle had 9 turnovers and that Wemby keeps jacking up threes even though he’s 7’5 and that Wemby gets noticeably less aggressive whenever Chet was on him
Everyone calling the title dramatic didn’t watch the game.
I have no skin in this game, we got booted by both these teams over the last two years. And I can tell you with a certainty that the okc gameplan is to constantly foul wemby because there is no way they’ll call a foul on every single play. Hartenstein should have had 15 fouls.
https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/s/4fY7pZFsRE
Oh now it’s the refs fault lol
2 for his last 7 though. he was outplayed by hartenstein down the stretch
They didn’t even pass him the ball in the 4th lol dumb move
He got tired . When his batteries are full he like nothing we’ve seen before. I think he’s been playing his best ball yet these playoffs
Surprisingly the first time I’ve ever seen a despite the refs post.
Crazy how Hart could literally do whatever he wanted and was never called for a foul. Just crazy ref game
Could have sworn he had 4. Stay corny, little fella
Which is insane considering how he played. By rules he definitely fouled out before halftime.
4, and they put together a highlight package of well more over 6 fouls that played on repeat all broadcast
Saying the corniest shit while calling someone corny is pretty wild.
He was one of the reasons for the loss, buddy too passive for a generational alien. Got bitched by iHart
+1 in a 9 point loss but go off lmao
Kornet unplayable. So a gassed Wemby was free eats at the end of the game. Not saying it’s his fault, but his passiveness, not attacking iHart with 4 fouls the whole 2nd half, damn sure ain’t help.
I see the OKC fans have hit the subreddit lol. All during the game it was people showing camera highlights of stupidly obvious fouls, now after the dust has settled OKC fans are trying to drown all that out imo. I’m not here to watch grown ass men pull hair and flop around like fish, sorry if that upsets people.
The refs were trash. It isn’t a question. Officiating was far better game 1, and that fact combined with the Spurs turnover rate last night fucked the Spurs over. This game refs clearly leaned towards OKC. The hair pulling play was especially absurd, there was a ref staring right at what went down.
Yes, despite the refs. Was that the only factor? No. Was it a massive factor? Absolutely.
nice try wemby you’re not getting lucky again like in game 1 shai played to his average standard and won
2 free throws. Meanwhile the twin foul tower of the Thunder got 4 free throws each. They get away with more fouls than anyone in the league
He was gassed, the refs will cost the league by letting dirty players get away fouling him every possesion.
Hoping for a good game next
[deleted]
Your comments are embarrassing. Stay mad though.
I’d like to see the reaction if anyone dove at Wemby’s knees like Wemby did to SGA lmao
Chet 100% aimed at Harper mid air
Daigenalt has bounty incentives, haven’t you heard?
I don’t think anybody second guessed dorts actions , he’s a deliberate dirty player lol
+1 in a 9 point loss. That’s all that really needs to be said.
Single game +/- is basically never “all that really needs to be said.”
Refs carried the spurs lol
That would imply the spurs won
Absolutely disgraceful refereeing, what an awful product
maybe the 7’5 guy shouldn’t get absolutely sonned on the boards in the last 10 minutes
Wemby had a bad fourth but it’s hard to rebound when you’re being held every time.
That’s not why the spurs lost though. Gotta stop turning the ball over
wemby holds hartenstein the entire game as well it’s just not highlighted by the broadcast but you’re at least normal levels of homer lol
Wemby was doing the same thing to Chet all of game 1 on the boards 😂😂
Dude he was clearly gassed from stopping the hart hugs all game are u dumb
he’s gotta be able to finish games out when he’s 22 it’s not getting any easier lmao
Didn’t seem to slow Shai down this game like last.