Shaquille O'Neal Calls Out Victor Wembanyama For His Comments After Game 2 Loss: "He's Flustered"

One loss at home was bad enough, but two losses to begin their NBA Finals campaigns have put the San Antonio Spurs in a precarious position. The New York Knicks escaped with a 105-104 win at the Frost Bank Center on Friday, breaking the Spurs' hearts and leaving Victor Wembanyama speechless. And that's what's most concerning, according to a man who's won four NBA Finals in his career.

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal called out Wemby for his comments in the postgame press conference interview. Shaq didn't like how the Spurs star showed weakness instead of reassuring fans that he would come back better in the next two games away at Madison Square Garden.

"As the leader, you should probably say, 'It's on me,'" O'Neal said on Inside the NBA. "Don’t say things are blurry. If I'm anybody on the New York Knicks, I'm coming at his head (in Game 3). That sounds like he's flustered.

You can't be flustered. I know you're down 0-2. But, listen, as that guy on that team, you just gotta step up. ... Don't say things like, 'Things got blurry.'"

Wembanyama did have a chance to seal the game for the Spurs, first when the score was tied at 104 and then moments later after Jalen Brunson missed a free throw with San Antonio trailing by one.

With 44.2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Brunson went for a drive inside. He stopped and popped from mid-range and knocked down a huge bucket to tie the game at 104-104 with only 39.3 seconds left on the clock.

As Wembanyama brought the ball down with only 12.9 seconds remaining, he threw a sloppy pass to Stephon Castle, which resulted in Brunson stealing the ball. Brunson was then fouled and sent to the line. The Knicks star only hit one of his two free throws, extending New York's lead to 105-104.

San Antonio still had the chance to win the game. However, in the final possession, Wembanyama missed his mid-range shot to beat the buzzer, resulting in the Spurs' defeat.

So, the defeat was personal and admittedly rattled the former No. 1 draft pick's confidence.

During the postgame press conference, Wembanyama was asked about what went wrong in the final few possessions of Game 2, and he responded, saying, "I'm still very blurry, and that's the whole problem... I need to have more poise, more control over the game. That's the general image."

Wembanyama did take ownership, but didn't sound too sure of himself. Ahead of their trip to New York, this wasn't what Spurs fans would have wanted to hear.

Victor Wembanyama Owns Up To His Mistake

Despite Victor Wembanyama's claims of not remembering what happened in the final few possessions of Game 2, he acknowledged that it was his fault that the San Antonio Spurs lost.

"I threw that one away," Wembanyama said. "I messed up. We didn't play great as a team. We needed to win that game. This game was ours. But at this point, it's done. Am I going to regret it? Yes, of course. Am I going to use that to fuel me and to fuel us in the next game? Absolutely."

So, despite Shaq's initial criticism, Wembanyama insisted that he would be heading to the Big Apple with extra motivation. While the moment may have felt blurry in the immediate aftermath, reflection has given him a clearer perspective heading into Game 3.

The Spurs are in a tricky situation. The New York Knicks will have home-court advantage in the next couple of games, and with the loud MSG crowd behind them, they'll look to complete a clean sweep and end their five-decade-long wait to be crowned world champions.

But considering how close Game 2 was on Friday, it's safe to assume that the Spurs still have some fight left in them.

If San Antonio manages to secure Game 3, this could turn the tide in its favor. As long as Wemby and company don't make the same late-game mistakes, the Spurs could still make a comeback.