Jose Alvarado delivered a clear warning to Victor Wembanyama after the San Antonio Spurs star's controversial shove on Jalen Brunson went uncalled in Game 3.
The New York Knicks were already dealing with the frustration of an 115-111 loss at Madison Square Garden. But one first-quarter sequence kept following them after the final buzzer because it involved their franchise guard being thrown to the floor.
Alvarado, the 6-foot Knicks guard from Brooklyn , made it clear that New York had not moved past the play while preparing for the next Finals test.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
New York Post shared Jose Alvarado's reaction after Victor Wembanyama shoved Jalen Brunson during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
"I think that's not basketball. That's something that they gotta look at. But he got away with one. That'll be the last one," Alvarado said.
Alvarado's comment sounded like both a complaint and a promise. He did not try to hide how the Knicks viewed the play, especially after no whistle came when Brunson hit the floor.
For a New York team trying to protect its lead in the series, the message was that Wembanyama's size cannot become an excuse for contact the Knicks believe crossed the line.
The play happened in the first quarter, when Wembanyama shoved Brunson in the back of the head and neck area as the Knicks guard tried to work through contact. No common foul was called, and the sequence immediately fueled anger from fans and former players.
The NBA later acknowledged that a foul was missed, but the league did not upgrade the play to a flagrant after reviewing it postgame.
That mattered because Wembanyama had already been assessed penalty points earlier in the postseason, and another flagrant would have put more pressure on his Finals availability.
Brunson did not offer much when asked about the incident, saying only, "Whatever you saw is what you saw." The Knicks, however, clearly saw enough for Alvarado to speak up.
Wembanyama finished with 32 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 3 blocks as the Spurs cut the Finals series to 2-1. But before Game 4, the shove has become part of the emotional edge around the matchup.
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