Knicks' Jose Alvarado Issues Stern Warning to Wembanyama After Controversial Play

During the first quarter of Game 3 in the NBA Finals, a contentious moment unfolded when Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs committed a hard foul against Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. The 7-foot-4 rookie shoved the 6-foot-2 point guard in the back of the head while they jostled for position at the free-throw line, yet the referees, including crew chief Marc Davis, did not call a foul at the time.

On Tuesday, NBA officiating chief Monty McCutchen acknowledged that the referees missed the foul call. The league is now reviewing the situation to decide whether Wembanyama should face a retroactive flagrant foul for the incident.

Knicks guard Jose Alvarado weighed in on the matter, expressing his disapproval of Wembanyama's actions. “I think that’s not basketball,” Alvarado stated to reporters, as reported by Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “That’s something that they gotta look at. But he got away with one. That’ll be the last one.”

Brunson, who also scored 32 points in the game, opted to downplay the incident during his postgame press conference, saying, “Whatever you saw is what you saw.” Despite the controversy, Wembanyama excelled on the court, contributing 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three blocks in the Spurs' narrow 115-111 victory at Madison Square Garden.

As the series continues, Game 4 is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, with tensions running high following the recent events.