NBA playoffs 2026: Victor Wembanyama's dominance and a new day for the Spurs
With Spurs royalty in attendance, the young superstar announced his presence with authority in his postseason debut.
SAN ANTONIO — As Victor Wembanyama ducked under the awning and triumphantly emerged from the tunnel for his pregame warmup ahead of his playoff debut — an entrance that would make Shawn Michaels proud — the warm embrace of Frost Bank Center became a stage for the arts. At the same time that a sea of proud onlookers whipped out their phones ready to document a piece of history, Spurs legend Manu Ginóbili, tucked away in the southeast corner of the arena with his son, reached for his own mobile device as his smile widened in length. At that moment, Ginóbili wasn’t one of the most decorated figures in the franchise’s illustrious history.
Nor was Tim Duncan or David Robinson. They were family members and friends alike, gathered in the house that Gregg Popovich helped build to see one of their own walk across the stage. “The first time I stepped on the court for warmups, I felt the atmosphere,” Wembanyama said following the Spurs’ 111-98 Game 1 win over the Blazers .
“It was different. Everybody’s ready. The fans are ready.
It’s probably the most excited I’ve seen this area, this arena. ” By the time Wembanyama walked off the floor in the final minute to a sea of roaring, rising cheers, the game already decided long before, the Frenchman’s stamp on the evening — and perhaps the series — had been made: 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting in 33 minutes to go along with five rebounds and two blocks. A Portland bench stunned, confused and dazed.
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