Do Spurs Have Preference Between 'Upset Vic' and 'Mature Vic?' No, Not Really

SAN ANTONIO — Victor Wembanyama shot out the cannon like a man possessed.

A screen by Stephon Castle prepped the ammo. Wembanyama's two strides in the lane, long enough to take him from the 3-point line to the basket, lit the fuse. He fired.

By the time Rudy Gobert realized what was happening, his protégé had blown by him and Ayo Dosunmu for a one-armed dunk that punctuated his 16-point first-quarter.

Whichever of the two characters the Frenchman was playing Tuesday night seemed to work. Both sides of his persona in Game 5 were spoken for: "Upset Vic" needed to make up ground after being ejected in Game 4 for elbowing Naz Reid, while "Mature Vic" knew playing too emotionally could result in another loss for the San Antonio Spurs.

Mitch Johnson coined the latter moniker; he felt it was appropriate following San Antonio's 29-point blowout over the Minnesota Timberwolves that night.

"I think the way that young man came out tonight," the Spurs' coach said, "in a variety of situations, not just in terms of his production, was extremely mature.”

A pair of 3-pointers, his wide open dunk and a pair of free throws made after crew chief John Goble upgraded a late closeout by Gobert on Wembanyama's first 3-point attempt less than two minutes into the game made up Wembanyama's complete offensive impact in the first quarter. Still, no piece of the 7-footer wanted to talk about his ejection.

If he was playing extra mad as a response to Game 4, he didn't let on.

“It was two games ago," Wembanyama said. "It’s the playoffs. I was focused on the game today, and now I’m focused on the game in three days. We’ve got to move on."

As he does after losses, Wembanyama took a blunt approach to his postgame interview. Clearly uninterested in divulging his mindset leading up to the elbow, he even feigned an interaction at half court postgame, pretending not to hear a question on the matter.

In that regard, Wembanyama is the same cunning player he's been since joining the NBA in 2023. His performance in Game 5 — 27 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks — backed that, too.

“I feel like we got the Vic that you’ve seen all year," Stephon Castle said. "I think his maturity level was off the charts. He played smart, didn’t really foul much."

Wembanyama faced the same kind of physicality in Game 5 as he had for the first four games of the Western Conference Semifinals. Jaden McDaniels logged five fouls, while Dosunmu spent several possessions trying to get under the Frenchman's skin.

"Upset Vic" by himself may have taken the bait. The Spurs knew it was coming, right down to the extra foul calls. But Wembanyama caught himself early.

"That's just the kind of guy he is," Castle explained. "That's his character: to make it more about the basketball game and be smart ... I damn near expect that every game.”

As has been the case all series, the Spurs weren't planning on taking the Timberwolves by 29 points without facing a fight. Anthony Edwards, who averaged 34 points in Games 3 and 4, resorted to the subdued version of his self seen in Game 1 with only 20 points.

In his place, McDaniels and Julius Randle attempted to pick up the slack. They faced what Johnson called "increased" resistance on the perimeter. The kind the Spurs have, and needed to show, even without Wembanyama anchoring the defense down low.

"We’ve played without Victor," Johnson said, "or Victor has come back after missing a game. I think our group is very secure with where we’re at and who we are.”

Edwards was the lone starter who didn't finish with a double-digit negative plus-minus on the night. Ever the vocalist, even he was lost for words Tuesday night. As confident as San Antonio was without its star, they had him in full force for Game 5.

"Some of the stuff that Wemby was doing (tonight)," Edwards said. "You don’t really have too much of an answer for. You just hope he misses."

Minnesota got lucky only seven times on that front. When Wembanyama checked out for the final time with 3:08 to play in the fourth quarter, the damage had been done.

"He didn't falter when he got hit," De'Aaron Fox said. "Even the strongest player in the league get hit and they fall. When he's playing the way he did tonight, it's hard to beat us."

Wembanyama, selectively secretive, has no intention of explaining himself for elbowing Reid. Whether from a place of anger or not, the Spurs paid the price with a Game 4 loss. It's why he has no intention of throwing another, regardless of "rage bait."

“He wanted to finish Game 4," Castle said, "but not letting that get to him is ... why we won.”

As far as the Spurs are concerned, a combination of "Upset Vic" and "Mature Vic" helped them take a commanding 3-2 series lead over the Timberwolves with a chance to eliminate them at home on Friday. But which was more effective?

Wembanyama laughed at the thought. Then he kept it short, as he'd done all night. Perhaps that was "Upset Vic" peeking through. Maybe that was the answer.

“They ain’t mutually exclusive," Wembanyama said. "I’m looking for both.”

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow