Jalen Brunson was living rent-free in Victor Wembanyama’s head for two straight games. And by the time Game 3 arrived, the frustration was impossible to hide. In a heated moment inside the paint, Wemby shoved the back of Brunson’s head, sending the Knicks star crashing to the floor. It ignited an immediate confrontation between them. But the play unfolded away from the referee’s line of sight, allowing San Antonio’s centerpiece to escape a penalty.

The message was unmistakable… As Brunson fought for his position during a Knicks possession, attempting to muscle Wemby out, the Spurs star responded in kind. The slowed-down replay showed the force with which he pushed Brunson’s head. Richard Jefferson, calling the game, exclaimed that it “should be a Flagrant 1.” But the play turned out to be a no-call, and the game went on. This wasn’t the only instance in the first half.

Stephon Castle rammed his hand into Brunson’s chest, sending the Knicks talisman to the floor. He fell hard on his back and took a few seconds to get up. He was grimacing in discomfort. These plays sparked a short Knicks points rally, though not enough to win the game. It was pure frustration on display because Brunson had spent the first two games relentlessly attacking the Spurs, dictating the action, and forcing San Antonio onto its heels.

The Knicks have long been efficient at capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes. But Mitch Johnson and the Spurs turned that around in Game 3 by tweaking the sets they usually relied on in Games 1 and 2. That resulted in New York committing 13 turnovers, which led to 21 Spurs points. Brunson himself had five of them to his name, worsening a concerning 4+ average he’s somehow upheld in this series. San Antonio had only eight turnovers and snatched the game.

In his post-game interview, however, Brunson had a short and crisp answer ready. He didn’t allow a bunch of physical plays to dictate the already negative headlines in New York any further.

“No,” Brunson said about whether the Spurs’ physicality affected him. “To answer your second question, whatever you saw is what you saw.”

There was discussion on the same topic on Inside the NBA as well. Former big man Shaquille O’Neal unsurprisingly sided with Wemby here, who tried to break character.

“I love that he’s playing with energy, enthusiasm, and effort,” Shaq said. “They got off to a great start. They didn’t keep that lead, but listen, this is what you want to see if you’re a big man. I like that move right there. You’ve got to let those little munchkins know.”

But Shaq’s pals didn’t support his take, especially Charles Barkley.

“You have to know who you can intimidate on other teams, you’re just gonna piss Brunson off,” Chuck said. “We know whose soft on other teams. You’re not going to intimidate Mr. Brunson. You’re just wasting fouls, giving them momentum.”

Guest panelist Draymond Green then inserted an idiom that he remembered: “A wise man once said, ‘Let a sleeping dog lie.'”

So, normally, Victor Wembanyama isn’t a ‘dirty’ star. But the playoffs are about the survival of the toughest. This Spurs team understood it the hard way. Wemby has suffered during this Finals run. During the WCF, Isaiah Hartenstein wrapped his hands around him during rebounds. Wemby’s also been blatantly pushed from the ball far too many times to even count. All he did last night was just give it back to a player who is influencing the game as much as him.

Wemby was an absolute force in Game 3, scoring 32 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, shooting 11 of 18 from the field. The Frenchman became the second-youngest player to score more than 30 in an NBA Finals game, behind Magic Johnson’s 42-point game when he was 20 years old in 1980. The Spurs played with high physicality on the road, in turn limiting Brunson’s impact due to early foul trouble.

The San Antonio Spurs are fighting against history

For many of the Spurs players, this is their first NBA Finals, let alone postseason. Having home-court advantage is meant to ease some of the pressure. But the Spurs shockingly lost both games in ways they would never have imagined. Gregg Popovich came through with golden words after the Spurs went down 0-2.

“Pretty much his message was, ‘Just let the last two games go,'” Stephon Castle revealed while gearing up for Game 3 at MSG. “It happened. They were very winnable games. We feel like we gave them those games.”

There’s no precedent for how teams must act after dropping the first two games. The Spurs are just the third team in history to start the NBA Finals by losing both games at home. The other two teams to do so, the 1995 Magic and 1993 Suns, lost the series in four and six games, respectively.

So Wemby and the Spurs need to be okay with being uncomfortable. They need to do things they wouldn’t normally do, since it’s the only way to disrupt the Knicks’ rhythm.

In some ways, it has helped.

The Spurs held tiny leads in Game 3, somehow holding on in the end. The nervousness was still visible, but that’ll get better with time and experience. There’s nothing the coach can do to skip that phase.

And for a playoff opponent who hadn’t lost in 13 games, a home game loss could play some ugly tricks on their minds.

Victor Wembanyama has understood the assignment and how important it is for him to impose himself. They need to start closing out games. They had that chance at home and blew it. But they didn’t keep their punches hidden this time. They’ve defended Brunson well (although violently), particularly limiting him to just five assists for the game.

San Antonio wants to avenge what has happened thus far. Even though they still trail in this series, they’re far from giving up.