San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama escaped a clear flagrant foul on New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but Brunson’s teammate Jose Alvarado made it clear that it won’t happen again.
The play happened in the first quarter, when Wembanyama and Brunson got tangled up before the Spurs center knocked Brunson to the ground.
There was no whistle despite the clarity and intention of Wembanyama’s tough play. Even though the NBA admitted that it missed the shot and carried out a review, no flagrant foul was applied retroactively to the player, according to reports.
Had Wembanyama received a Flagrant 1, he would have been just one flagrant foul away from a suspension, having already accumulated a Flagrant 2 in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Jose Alvarado warns Victor Wembanyama
When asked about the foul committed against his teammate, Alvarado sent a direct message to Wembanyama, according to reporter Zach Braziller, from the New York Post.
“I don’t think this is basketball,” Alvarado said. “It’s something they need to look at. But he got away from one. This will be the last one.”
Brunson’s response when asked about the move was much more restrained.
“Whatever you saw is what you saw,” Brunson said after Game 3.
Wembanyama’s escapade takes on an even more serious tone when one considers that Brunson was called for a flagrant foul in a closeout while defending Spurs winger Julian Champagnie.
Furthermore, Wembanyama made a closeout similar to Brunson’s in Champagnie, but the Spurs center was not punished with a flagrant foul like the Knicks point guard was.
This highlights the disparity between what the San Antonio team has managed to do without punishment and what the New York Knicks have not escaped.
Any impartial observer can notice the clear difference.
It will be interesting to see if the frustrations boil over in Game 4 on Wednesday night.
There is a feeling that if Wembanyama or any other Spurs player comes close to what he did on Monday, serious problems could arise.
Victor Wembanyama faces dirty player label
If he hasn’t won yet, Wembanyama is certainly close to carrying the “dirty player” label, which is not a good image for someone the NBA wants as the face of the league.
Before pushing Brunson, Wembanyama had already received a Flagrant 2 and sid