Victor Wembanyama wanted to play in Game 3. He took out his frustration on Blazers in Game 4

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksWhat Makes Up Championship DNA?Hollinger's Playoff PreviewPlayer Poll: Who is the MVP?Player Poll: Who Will Win Title?NBA Playoffs Victor Wembanyama returned with a vengeance in Game 4, leading the Spurs to a 3-1 series advantage. Soobum Im / Getty Images Share articlePORTLAND, Ore. — Victor Wembanyama’s Game 2 concussion was, as he put it, “weird.” Every part of it. The way his face violently slammed to the floor not once, but twice. The apparent blackout followed by the stumble to get up from the player whose balance is always a spectacle. The waving of his teammates to come closer so he could say something, followed by him getting up and sprinting off the court like he always does. The whole situation was perplexing. As were the rumblings that he was going to try to play in Game 3 of the San Antonio Spurs’ playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers just 72 hours after taking haymakers to the chin. Wembanyama did not play that night; he ended up being cleared in time for the 12:30 p.m. PT tip off for Sunday’s Game 4, which he dominated en route to a 114-93 win that gave the Spurs a 3-1 series lead. Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 7 blocks and 4 steals, becoming the 10th player in NBA history to record at least 25 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in a game, per Stathead. The last player to accomplish that feat was Shaquille O’Neal 22 years ago. But ahead of Game 3, Wembanyama felt ready to play and made a push to be cleared once he passed the required baseline assessments and was given the go-ahead from the Spurs’ medical staff. When Wembanyama was not given clearance by the director of the league’s concussion program, in compliance with Section 5(b)(iv) of the NBA concussion policy, he requested an examination by an independent neurologist. Wembanyama informed the independent neurologist that he was ready to play and completed an interview regarding his symptoms, but the NBA determined Wembanyama was not ready to return for Game 3, a league source with direct knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. In a news conference following Sunday’s Game 4 win, Wembanyama claimed that he was not given a reason for why he was not cleared to play in Game 3. “I’m not saying that not playing was a good or bad decision,” Wembanyama said. “It was a decision. I’m not saying it was good or bad. But the way the situation was handled, very disappointing.” When asked if he could explain why he was disappointed with the process by which the NBA determined he had not cleared the concussion protocol before Game 3, Wembanyama said to ask him after the season, because he didn’t want to get into the details and have it become a distraction. He did go on to say that he was happy with his interactions with doctors, both with the Spurs and on the NBA’s side. “The doctors all around, they were great. Took great care of me,” Wembanyama said. “But the way the situation was handled was very disappointing.” Wembanyama has a reputation for being abundantly confident in the way he takes care of his body, often fighting to play when the Spurs tell him to sit. It’d be reasonable if the NBA held him out out of an abundance of caution, regardless of whether Wembanyama felt ready to play. But he made it clear Sunday afternoon that he looks as good as he feels. “I’ve been feeling great,” he said. “Even conditioning-wise, I did some cardio two days ago, so I’m fine.” Wembanyama hit the deck several times in Game 4, as he usually does, testing all those doctors who did eventually clear him to play. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, who is the one person who truly decides which players see the floor and which sit on the bench, was asked if he held his breath in those moments. “I didn’t, to be honest. I’ve learned to trust that young man,” Johnson said. “I think the challenge now is for him to continue to play the way he did in the second half for the whole game. When he does that, we’ll be tough. But if he doesn’t do that, there’s a ripple effect for our team. That’s the responsibility that comes with being the face of the franchise and the best player.” That has been the moving target for Wembanyama all season. Can he play his best consistently? Can he manage himself and his body to be ready at all times and solve any problem that comes his way? Nobody is perfect. Just look at what Rudy Gobert is doing to Nikola Jokić, the player Wembanyama acknowledges is the best offensive player on Earth, in the Timberwolves-Nuggets series. Everybody gets humbled in the playoffs at some point. It happened to Wembanyama in the first half, as the Spurs offense looked stuck in mud when he handled the ball and the Blazers walled off his playmaking outlets. The Spurs fell into a 19-point hole before De’Aaron Fox hit a layup just before halftime. Wembanyama walked back to the locker room nodding his head, looking like he was taking in the energy of the Blazers crowd, the frustration of his team’s struggles and even the embarrassment of living well below his standards in his first road playoff game. Wembanyama is as competitive as they come. He gets ticked off when he loses meaningless games, because competition is always meaningful to him. It’s why missing one game of a playoff series felt to him like, if not quite the end of the world, at least a crisis. It didn’t take long for him and the Spurs to flip the game in the second half. Throughout the season, opponents have often lost some steam in the third quarter against the Spurs before they pounce. Johnson used Wembanyama more off the ball to pull the Trail Blazers’ centers way outside of the paint, which created several uncontested dunks for his Spurs teammates. When the Blazers tried to use smaller defenders on Wembanyama, he just blew through them to get easy buckets himself. Last game, Fox struggled while rookie Dylan Harper had a record night. In Game 4, Harper barely registered in the box score, while Fox had a defining night. The system revolves around Wembanyama, but the players who take over within it changes by the night, or even the minute. “We got this connection. I think there’s no useless drama between us. We thrive when we do the invisible efforts that benefit all this,” Wembanyama said. “There’s no jealousy. Nobody cares about their stat line. So it’s our greatest strength.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms