Kendrick Perkins Fires Warning Shot at Victor Wembanyama Before Game 3
The San Antonio Spurs walked out of Game 2 knowing they had let a golden opportunity slip away.
After leading for stretches and putting themselves in position to even the NBA Finals, they watched the New York Knicks escape with a dramatic 105-104 victory, giving New York a commanding 2-0 series lead heading into Monday night’s Game 3 at Madison Square Garden.
Victor Wembanyama finished with a game-high 29 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks, but much of the conversation after the game centered on his late offensive mistakes, including a costly turnover and a missed shot in the closing moments as the Knicks completed another comeback.
In the days since, criticism of Wembanyama has largely focused on his offensive execution, with analysts continuously pointing to the Spurs’ superstar not delivering enough in the biggest possessions of the game.
But hours before Game 3, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins pushed back on the narrative and shifted the spotlight to a different area entirely: to Wembanyama’s defense.
“We had so much energy for Chet Holmgren in the conference finals, basically getting punked by Wemby. Well, we have to keep that same energy for Wemby,” Perkins said. “This is the guy we’re talking about as the Defensive Player of the Year, and Karl-Anthony Towns has been having his way against this individual matchup.”
“All morning long, all I’ve been hearing is, ‘What can Wemby do offensively?’ No, what is he going to do defensively? Is he gonna get a stop? It’s mono y mono,” he added.
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That is what makes Game 3 feel so massive.
No team has ever erased a 3-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, and only a handful of Finals teams have recovered from any 0-2 hole at all.
San Antonio already lost the first two games at home, making the challenge even steeper.
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Game 3 tips off Monday at 8:30 p.m. ET from Madison Square Garden, the first Finals game in New York in 27 years.
The atmosphere is expected to be electric as the Knicks look to move within one win of their first championship since 1973.
Can Wembanyama reassert himself defensively? If he dominates Towns and reclaims control of the paint, the Spurs can shift momentum and turn this into a series. But if Towns continues to neutralize him and New York’s supporting cast keeps producing around Jalen Brunson, the Knicks could put the series away.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 6:52 PM.