After this great victory for the first of the two NBA Paris Games 2025, the Spurs were logically satisfied with what they had been able to offer to the Parisian public, who came in large numbers to support Victor Wembanyama.
“These are unique circumstances” explains Mitch Johnson, San Antonio’s interim coach. “There are matches where guys don't need to find motivation. We did a good job, we didn't overreact too much. I expected a bit of chaos in the first five or six minutes due to anxiety, tension, nervousness, the desire to do well or even excitement. But we've done a good job adapting and not overreacting to this whole environment.
Obviously, on the Pacers side, the feeling was reversed.
“I don’t know what Victor Wembanyama said before the match but it worked. He delivered a great match, France can be proud of him” assures Rick Carlisle. “We have to play better on Saturday. I don't know if we've ever taken so many points in the same quarter, even when we were bad in defense. [Notre prestation défensive de ce soir] is alarming. You have to give Spurs credit, they played at a high level. »
“We didn't fight at all, we didn't have the right energy. We missed shots, the match was easy for them. We cannot win with 140 points collected. We have to be better in defense but [ce type de prestation] can happen in the NBA. For a month, we have been one of the best defenses in the League, but tonight we did not show who we are.” recognizes Pascal Siakam when the hero of the evening is jubilant.
“It’s a match that was close to my heart: in terms of pure performance, it is in my Top 5 of the most successful matches of my NBA career. To deliver a great performance, you have to focus on small details, without doing something incredible. On the contrary, it is the multiplication of simple and collective actions that makes a match incredible. I'm proud of my team, we had one of our best matches of the season… It's a perfect evening, there's victory and style.” concludes Victor Wembanyama.
Comments collected at the Accor Arena,