Even though San Antonio was a favorite to make Round 2, Portland had instilled a lot of tension into that series. But the Spurs avoided losing ground when Victor Wembanyama was out. The Frenchman returned in the penultimate game, and he’s been a menace to deal with ever since. In Game 6, he had six blocks. And it’s safe to say that the unanimous DPOY picked up right where he left off and created NBA playoff history with 12 blocks against the Timberwolves.

Minnesota kept its trump card close to its chest right until tip-off, but Wemby was unfazed. His double-double contribution today, though, came with a caveat. What started as a social media firestorm became a full-blown, bizarre controversy by the time the final whistle sounded. Wemby escaped at least four goaltending calls. That naturally upset many, and Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch said the unsaid part out loud and clear.

“A little bit, yeah, better spacing, a little bit, better ball movement,” Finch said about containing Wemby for just 11 points. The coach then shared his thoughts on the blocks that cost Minnesota crucial points, considering their narrow 104-102 win. “He had a lot of blocks. He had a couple of uncalled goaltendings, too. So, those are valuable points we’d like to have back. I thought there was smarter offense to be had in the second half, and I think we did a better job of finding that.” This blunt reaction by Finch is fully justified, and we’ll tell you why.

This controversy started right from the beginning. Within 3.5 minutes of the game, Wemby had three blocks. The problem? None were legal. His first block on Terrence Shannon Jr. appeared clean in real time, but on the replays, it was crystal clear that the Frenchman’s fingers clipped the board on the way. Two minutes later, Rudy Gobert drove into the paint eyeing a left-handed finish, but Wemby was there again. The issue here was that he made contact with Gobert and swatted his wrist instead of the ball. No foul called! It didn’t end there.

In the second quarter, Wemby intended to block Julius Randle under the rim. He made contact with the ball, but again clipped the backboard on the way down… This one wasn’t called too. A few minutes later, the Spurs star literally hit Gobert’s hand under the rim while trying to block a layup. The referees didn’t deem that contact problematic. In the fourth quarter, Edwards had possession and craftily sneaked in between two defenders. But he didn’t beat Wemby, who literally thumped his hand into the backboard after blocking the shot.

The officials did not make any goaltending call against the Spurs center. Within the first half itself, Wemby’s blocks tally reached seven. By the end of the third quarter, he had reached 10, breaking Tim Duncan’s record for most blocks in a playoff game in Spurs history. Two more rejections later, Wemby made history for the most blocks recorded in a playoff game. The record, which spans the play-by-play era (since 1973-74), was previously shared by Mark Eaton (1985), Hakeem Olajuwon (1990), and Andrew Bynum (2012), who each logged 10 in a game. Even if the Spurs star stayed on 10, he’d still have led this list.

That’s because Eaton was 28 years old when he broke the record, Olajuwon was 27, Bynum was 24, and Wemby is 22. Now, Finch and his team did not alter their strategy much coming into this game. The only difference this time, though, was that it wasn’t Nikola Jokic under the rim. Nearly half of Minnesota’s 18 missed shots in the first 24 minutes were the French phenom’s rejections. But the Timberwolves then did not challenge the paint as much, taking their game away from Wemby…

This isn’t the first time Wemby and his team have been in the news for a goaltending issue. As recently as February, the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coach lost his mind on the referees. Neemias Queta stuck his entire hand through the basket on a Deandre Ayton shot attempt, and there was no call. JJ Redick, who got a tech for his outburst, said that he was seeking more clarity from the referees and unexpectedly blurted, “If I was Wemby… I would literally [do it] every time.”

If anything, Wemby drew a lot of negative attention in the first playoff game of Round 2, and even though his team lost, the 22-year-old has been issued a challenge.

Victor Wembanyama is under threat of getting dunked on in Game 2

While Victor Wembanyama blocked 12 attempts, Terrence Shannon Jr. is not afraid to go at him again. The 25-year-old had his shot blocked three times by the Spurs star (one was a goaltend early in the first quarter). Shannon got extended minutes as Anthony Edwards shockingly started from the bench. So, he is ready for the challenge that the French phenom might throw at him again.

“He gonna have to block it every time, I ain’t gonna stop going downhill, and I told him that when he said a little something after he blocked my second one. He gonna have to block it every time, man. I know he ain’t gonna block it every single time. I’m gonna dunk on him,” Shannon Jr., a 6’6” wing with a near 40-inch vertical, said.

The 25-year-old remains a 46% shooter from the field, but against the Spurs, he was limited to 38%. Another reason Shannon Jr. wants this battle again. Regardless, millions of eyes will be on the Alien after fans on social media couldn’t stop raging last night.