In three years in this league, Victor Wembanyama has shattered multiple defensive records. He became the first unanimous DPOY this season. All of his 7’4” frame moves to protect the paint. Against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wemby did it at a rate never seen before. He finished Game 1 with a historic 12 blocks; the most in a single NBA playoff game in league history, surpassing the previous record of 10 shared by Hakeem Olajuwon (1990), Mark Eaton (1985), and Andrew Bynum (2012). The playoffs just saw the ‘alien’ unleashed without any chains holding him back.

Within the first half, his blocks tally reached seven. By the end of the third quarter, he reached 10, breaking Tim Duncan’s record for most blocks in a playoff game in Spurs history. Two more swats later, Wembanyama now holds the all-time playoff single-game blocks crown. At just 22 years old, he also became the youngest player ever to record a playoff triple-double that included blocks.

Victor Wembanyama managed to get a triple-double with his blocked shots. He finished Game 1 with 11 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocks. Despite the defensive masterclass, the Spurs fell 104-102 to the Timberwolves, as Minnesota executed better in crunch time, including a Mike Conley three-pointer off a Wembanyama block. The historic performance proves just how great an anomaly the Spurs talisman is. However, similar to the doubts about Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, Wembanyama’s performance has a few skid marks.

According to Tom Azarly, the 22-year-old broke Hakeem Olajuwon’s mark with a few controversial decisions. He listed them out in his tweet saying, “Wemby has 3 blocks in 3.5 minutes now, and they’re… – A good block – An uncalled goaltend – An uncalled foul”.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch agreed, saying, “Yeah, he had a couple of blocks, most of them uncalled goaltends”.

The referees did appear to miss a few obvious calls against Victor Wembanyama. On one possession, Wemby got away with hitting Rudy Gobert’s arm. In the second half, the two-time All-Star had another block where the first contact seemed to be on a Timberwolves player’s arm, before Wembanyama used his other hand to swat the ball away.

While some blocks were clean demonstrations of his elite timing and length, others crossed into goaltending territory under NBA rules (illegal if the ball is on its downward path after touching the backboard or rim). Wembanyama’s extraordinary wingspan has invited extra scrutiny throughout his young career, though many of his blocks remain legally exceptional.

Likewise, fans weren’t pleased that an all-time playoff record was broken due to poor officiating.

NBA fans raise their voices against referees again

I’ll be honest, it was always a matter of when, not if, Wembanyama would break such records set in stone. This Game 1 performance capped a season in which he led the NBA in blocks for the third consecutive year while anchoring one of the league’s top defenses.

However, there’s an ethical side to basketball that has to be maintained. Some fans weren’t pleased with officials failing to recognize some of Wemby’s illegal blocks. “By my account he has three goal-tends this game so far…. All of them uncalled,” a fan wrote.

That’s where fans drew a line. Missing a potential foul on a block shot is still tolerable. At times, the referees don’t have the right angle to properly spot the entire motion. But it’s evident when the ball hits the backboard and bounces off. “The goaltending is unacceptable. Can’t take points off the board. Easily reviewed just like if a 3 is a 3 or a 2,” a comment read.

Referees can readily access technology to clean up a few contentious calls. However, to keep reviewing trivial calls would interrupt the flow of the game. The point here is to gain better control and focus on the action itself, rather than relying on reviews. “I can’t believe with two hands that tall the ref wasn’t able to see it, like this is so disgusting,” a fan wrote regarding the same.

The problems grow worse for Adam Silver after Jaylen Brown’s recent comments accusing referees of having an “agenda” against him following the Celtics’ playoff exit. Wembanyama’s game added fuel to ongoing debates about inconsistent officiating, star treatment, and the need for better replay protocols on goaltending and block/charge plays.

But fans are starting to see through his emotions after watching Victor Wembanyama tonight. “Dude playing by a different set of rules lol,” a fan wrote.

The frustration was very visible. Another fan wrote, “Buddy is the opposite of Shai, dudes immune to the whistle”. In some way, maybe it was karmic justice that Wembanyama’s 12 block led to a Mike Conley three in the fourth quarter. The Timberwolves shocked the Spurs in Game 1 by keeping Victor Wembanyama contained on the offensive end- holding the DPOY and MVP candidate to 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting.

At the end of the day, basketball won. It won’t be astonishing if the Spurs cornerstone manages to breach his own record in the future. However, fans will hope that, if it does happen, the referees don’t leave any room for doubt.