The Spurs made a statement in their Game 2 victory over the Timberwolves. However, San Antonio's star says it was to be expected.
After a shocking loss in San Antonio to open the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Spurs came out on fire in Game 2. San Antonio squashed any momentum the chippy T-Wolves had in an emphatic 133-95 rebound victory.
The point total was the most in franchise history since 1983, as the reasons why San Antonio rolled to the Western Conference's No. 2-seed were on full display. Despite the reinvigorating and historic outing, Spurs' superstar Victor Wembanyama was left feeling unsurprised.
"I'm just saying it like it is, I know this team is capable of doing all of this. To be honest, I'm expecting this kind of response, from myself, from my teammates. So I'm not surprised by any means," remarked Wembanyama to the press after the win.
As blunt as it may be, it is understandable why Wemby was banking on the Spurs to show up. En route to a 60-win season this year, San Antonio lost back-to-back matchups only five times and has not done so since January 11.
To put it plainly, the Spurs know how to win and do it consistently. Even after an admittedly bad showing in Game 1, the squad found itself right back on the right side of the result.
Wemby played a big role in the newfound success, as is expected, with 19 points and 15 rebounds fresh off a historic defensive effort in the opening game. While he was back to form on offense, he was not alone in powering San Antonio's scoring.
Stephon Castle led all Spurs with 21 points on a night where every starter alongside two bench players reached double figures. The Spurs' second-in-command highlighted his ability to take over games, which could prove invaluable going forward.
"I think we respond well to adversity," shared Castle. "I think we've done that all year. We knew why we lost Game 1 and we addressed it right away."
Based on the aforementioned numbers, Castle is right on the money. With more challenges likely to come in the series, San Antonio will need to be ready to respond again.
The Spurs on the court were not the only ones impressed with the turnaround performance, as head coach Mitch Johnson shared his takeaways.
"It's important to protect home court and obviously we gave that away in Game 1, so tonight was enhanced in that regard. And I thought the guys did a good job playing with that appropriate urgency," said Johnson.
As Johnson said, the Spurs got a huge win to knot things up, but now the series shifts to Minnesota. San Antonio is going to have to return the favor of stealing away a win inside the Timberwolves' home arena to prevent the series from getting completely out of hand.
If their latest effort is any indication, the Spurs are back and ready to showcase the talents that has vaulted them back into the spotlight in the NBA. They'll get the chance to go to work again Friday night at 8:30 from Target Center.