The physical battle in the NBA Finals took a strange turn during Game 3. Star guard Jalen Brunson found himself at the center of a heated moment that left everyone looking for answers. 

After the game, all eyes turned to the postgame media. A reporter asked Brunson what happened between him and Victor Wembanyama in the 1st quarter. The reporter also asked if the physical play from San Antonio was starting to bother him. 

A clip shared by ESPN on X covered the exchange. Brunson delivered a short reply. "Uh, no. Um, to answer your second question… and whatever you saw is what you saw."

Veteran players often use this strategy to avoid making a loss even worse. Saying too much can lead to heavy fines from the league office for complaining about the refs. It can also give the opposing team extra motivation for the next game. 

The incident happened early in the first quarter, with just around 5 minutes left on the clock. Brunson was trying to fight for position near the free-throw line against Wembanyama. Wemby placed his hand on the back of Brunson's head and neck. 

He then gave a hard downward shove that sent Brunson to the floor. No whistle was blown by the officials, and play moved down the court. Some video angles suggested that Brunson may have initiated the contact by holding Wembanyama's jersey first. 

Still, the referees never went to the replay monitor to review the contact, and the league has not issued any statement regarding the play.

The entire game turned into a physical battle that tested the patience of both rosters.

Spurs’ Physical Approach Finally Slows Jalen Brunson 

Game 3 turned into the most physical and penalized matchup of the series so far. Later in the game, Stephon Castle ran straight into Brunson on a charge attempt, which led to an official review but resulted in a common foul. 

Tensions built up even higher when Josh Hart received a technical foul for pushing Luke Kornet after a basket. By the end of the night, the free-throw became the biggest story. The Spurs went to the line 32 times compared to just 22 for New York.

During the first two games on the road, the Spurs had no answer for Brunson's speed and mid-range shooting. To bounce back, the Spurs decided to get physical. They used constant body contact to wear Brunson down. 

Brunson finished the night with 32 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but he had to shoot 11-of-25 from the floor to get there. On the other side, Wembanyama carried his team with a performance of 32 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. 

Knicks coach Mike Brown used his postgame press conference to complain about the second-half whistles. For now, Brunson's brief comment remains the only explanation about the growing tension between the two stars.

Drop your thoughts below on how the referees handled the physical play in Game 3. Read more at Air Jordan Chronicles!

Written by

Utsav Sinha

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi