Victor Wembanyama WCF MVP

Victor Wembanyama added another postseason award after San Antonio’s seven-game win over Oklahoma City, and the timing matters because it came at the end of the Spurs’ first Western Conference title run since 2014. The NBA said Wembanyama was unanimously named Western Conference Finals MVP after the Spurs beat the Thunder 111-103 in Game 7 on Saturday. The award is the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy, given annually to the most valuable player in the West finals. Wembanyama, 22, then carried the trophy into a Spurs team celebration that sent San Antonio into the NBA Finals against the New York Knicks. ### How was the award decided? The NBA said Wembanyama was a unanimous choice, meaning he received every vote cast for the series award. The league’s release said he averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks in 37.7 minutes across the seven games against Oklahoma City. Saturday’s clincher gave voters a final snapshot. (nba.com) NBA.com’s game recap said Wembanyama finished Game 7 with 22 points and seven rebounds as San Antonio placed seven scorers in double figures and held off repeated Thunder rallies. ### What did Wembanyama do in the deciding game? Game 7 turned on San Antonio’s ability to answer Oklahoma City runs, and Wembanyama was central to that effort on both ends. (nba.com) NBA.com said the Spurs closed out the series on the road, beating the defending champions in Oklahoma City to secure the franchise’s first Finals berth in 12 years. (nba.com) Wembanyama also supplied the line that framed the postgame scene. “They don’t even know how much I love them,” he said of his teammates after the win, according to NBA.com. “We want four more.” ### Why is this a notable moment for San Antonio? San Antonio returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014 by winning the Western Conference in a series that went the distance. (nba.com) NBA.com’s playoff hub said the Spurs advanced after defeating the Thunder in seven games and will face New York in a Finals rematch of the 1999 championship series. The series also drew unusual attention beyond the standings. (nba.com) NBA.com said Spurs-Thunder Game 7 became the most-viewed NBA game in the history of social media, underscoring the scale of interest around Wembanyama’s run and San Antonio’s return to the Finals. ### Where does this fit in Wembanyama’s season? NBC reported that Wembanyama had already won Defensive Player of the Year earlier this spring before adding the West finals trophy. (nba.com) The same report said he entered the postseason as an MVP candidate and now heads into the Finals with San Antonio seeking the franchise’s sixth championship. (nba.com) Olympics.com’s recap of the clincher said Wembanyama was in tears after the win, a detail that matched the emotion seen in the postgame celebration around the court and in the locker room. ### What comes next for the Spurs and Knicks? The NBA said San Antonio will open the Finals against New York on Wednesday, June 3, at 8:30 p.m. (nbc.com) Eastern on ABC. The playoff hub lists the matchup as Spurs vs. Knicks, with the Larry O’Brien Trophy returning to center court in San Antonio and New York for the series. (olympics.com) June 3 is the next milestone now. Wembanyama enters that game as the Western Conference Finals MVP, and Jalen Brunson leads a Knicks team making its first Finals appearance since 1999. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)