The New York Knicks are on the cusp of winning their first NBA Championship since 1973, and Saturday night presents them with an opportunity to officially snap their 53-year title drought once and for all.
Despite their heavy odds of triumphantly wrapping up this series, Victor Wembanyama is of the belief that he and his Spurs will accomplish the unthinkable and rattle off three-straight wins to claim the Larry O'Brien Trophy for themselves.
Of course, in order for San Antonio to have a remote chance of accomplishing such a feat, they'll need Wemby to go all-out in every facet of the game, starting in Game 5 out at Frost Bank Center.
The only problem is that the big man simply can't afford to slip up in the physicality department one bit from here on out, because one more flagrant foul could be the difference between him playing in a Game 6 if they manage to win Saturday and watching it on TV.
Victor Wembanyama will be suspended with one more flagrant vs Knicks
Throughout this year's playoff run, Wembanyama has seemingly been on another level when it comes to his brute force and highly unethical aggression on the hardwood.
From his elbow-to-the-head jab against Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in round two to, most recently, his swipe-up on the chin against Karl-Anthony Towns in Wednesday's Game 4, the 22-year-old currently has a total of three flagrant points against him.
Per the league's playoff flagrant point system, though he wouldn't necessarily be tossed from Saturday's contest if he were to record another flagrant one, receiving such a call yet again would result in an automatic suspension for the following game should the Spurs wind up forcing a Game 6.
It goes without saying that Wembanyama has certainly gotten lucky on a few occasions throughout this NBA Finals matchup against the Knicks alone.
Whether the officiating crew purposely turned a blind eye or simply didn't see his completely unnecessary shove toward Jalen Brunson's neck in Game 3, the fact of the matter is that had it been called correctly (or at all, for that matter), there's a good chance the big man would already have been shelved for this do-or-die Game 5 for the Spurs.
With three flagrant points already being held against him, it's safe to say that Wembanyama can't bank on such good fortune to continue on.
So while the superstar understands how important Saturday night may be for him and his team, in the back of his head, he must also understand that he might need to walk on a tightrope when it comes to his all-out approach to the contest.
In a way, Wemby's unfamiliarity with this sweet spot could wind up working out in the Knicks' favor. In fact, New York may even want to test the boundaries and push his buttons to see if he can be baited into crossing this now-very-thin line.
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