San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama needs to be very careful in the final four games of the NBA Finals because he is reportedly nearing a suspension.
On Monday night, the Spurs scored a big victory in Game 3 of the NBA Finals in front of a raucous crowd inside New York’s Madison Square Garden. Yet, the win did not come without some controversy. In the first quarter, the referees missed an egregious moment when Wembanyama shoved Knicks star Jalen Brunson in the back of his neck. Knocking him to the court.
It was a surprising miss on a night when the refs seemed to overlook several fouls by the Spurs. However, the league is apparently looking into the moment.
“Certainly, we can all agree a foul was missed on that play,” NBA Senior Vice President of refs Monty McCutchen told ESPN. “Every game’s reviewed. We’re in the process of doing that… If there’s a clear miss, there’s a possibility for an upgrade. But it’s a ‘clear & conclusive’ standard, not the same as re-refereeing it.”
It means that the league very well could hit Wembanyama with a retroactive flagrant foul 1. And that is bad news for the MVP candidate.
Victor Wembanyama could be one flagrant away from NBA Finals suspension
victor wembanyama
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That would not be the first flagrant he has incurred during these playoffs. In the Spurs’ series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he was hit with a flagrant 2 for elbowing forward Naz Reid in the throat. It led to Wembanyama being ejected.
Multiple flagrants lead to a suspension based on a points system. One point for a flagrant 1, and two for, of course, a flagrant 2. In the regular season, a suspension only comes after surpassing five points. However, in the playoffs, it is shortened to just three. If Wembanyama gets a flagrant 1 upgrade, he will have three points.
That means if he gets another over the next four games, he is facing an immediate suspension. Considering how physical the Spurs have been in their series with the New York Knicks, being on the verge of a suspension could take a lot of the fiestiness out of his recent play.
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After earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka ... More about Jason Burgos