If the NBA wanted to offer the people of France the real experience of fandom, Saturday's game accomplished that mission completely.
After San Antonio beat Indiana by 30 on Thursday in the opening game, the tables were turned on Saturday as the Pacers beat the Spurs 136-98.
In many ways, that is the most authentic NBA experience anyone could ever hope for. What is more real than ebbs and flows, ups and downs and, frankly, varying performances?
While Parisians would obviously have loved to see the Spurs dominate once again with hometown hero Victor Wembanyama dropping another 30-bomb, that is simply not a realistic representation of where the second-year star is in his career.
The fact that the Spurs experienced wild highs and crazy lows is oddly a great unifier for their growing fan base in France. Besides, after the conclusion of Saturday's game, Wembanyama shed light on what it's all really about.
“This week was amazing,” Wembanyama said as an opening statement at the postgame news conference before taking questions. “I was just seeing my family. I’m not trying to get emotional, but everybody did their job to making this week incredible.”
Wembanyama failed in his quest to not be emotional with his eyes turning red and his voice slightly cracking.
“I did my best to make this week special for my team, for my family, my friends,” he said. “But people still found ways to surprise me, to make things feel like it mattered for them, and I matter for them. So it’s priceless.”
His deep appreciation for the constant outpour of love from his nation betrayed his attempt at keeping his face stoned — and we're all better for it.
The 21-year-old has been busy this week with, well, everything. He's taken his team to dinner, unveiled basketball courts, gone to numerous news conferences, made appearances at NBA events and, oh, he's played two regular-season games as the featured player carrying the burden of a nation with over 68 million people on his slender back.
For this young man to not show fatigue and exhaustion at a news conference after his whirlwind week and 38-point loss is exactly what superstars are made of.
Much like this two-game series, Wembanyama's career will likely mirror it. There will be unimaginable peaks, devastating valleys and a middle ground in which he'll have to find some level of comfort just to survive the daily grind that is the NBA.
As for his play, he leaves Paris averaging 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, four assists and three blocks. For 99.9% of NBA players, that's good enough. For Wembanyama, there's unquestionably a lingering feeling of not having done enough, primarily due to the fact that his potential is limitless.
That passion for the game? That desire to constantly do more? That burning sensation of defeat that fills his inner being with more motivation?
He couldn't be more French, even if he tried.
Victor Wembanyama is the future of the NBA. And everything he showed in Paris is why.
