There's no denying that this NBA Finals series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs has been an absolute slugfest through these first three games of action.
Victor Wembanyama, in particular, has been at the forefront of instigating some rough-and-tough, on-court antics.
Former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury, who knows a thing or two about playing internationally, suggested that it is the big man's experience overseas that has him leaning into playing a dirtier brand of basketball.
Clearly, Jose Alvarado has had enough.
Following Monday's Game 3 loss out at Madison Square Garden, the born-and-raised New York point guard was asked about a particular moment where Wembanyama clearly cheap-shotted Jalen Brunson mid-play without drawing a single call from the officiating team.
Alvarado referred to the act as "not basketball,” and warned that while he may have gotten away with what was clearly a flagrant foul, be it as a result of a proper whistle being called or a Knicks teammate stepping in, "that’ll be the last one” he'll get away scot-free with.
Knicks clearly receiving short end of the stick in foul call department
Unfortunately, the Spurs not being called for well-deserved fouls is by no means a mere one-off happening from Game 3.
All series long, there has been a clear disparity in this department, particularly in free throws, where, following Monday's loss, San Antonio is leading the Knicks by roughly 8 attempts per game (28.0 to 20.3).
Perhaps the most egregious example of this stark contrast in charity stripe visits came in the second half of Game 3, where the Spurs shot a whopping 24 attempts to New York's eight, something coach Mike Brown said he "never thought" he'd see in the championship round.
Now, it's important to understand the very real fact that the Knicks did not lose this game due to foul calls alone.
From their 13 turnovers that directly resulted in 21 points to going a horrid 2-for-14 from deep in the final quarter of action, Jalen Brunson and company had far more issues in the contest than just a lopsided free-throw shooting performance.
With that said, as coach Brown stressed during his post-game presser, while he understands the Knicks may have been guilty of some of the calls they were penalized for, at the end of the day, the Spurs "foul too."
Hopefully the referees heed his words heading into Wednesday's Game 4.
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