Victor Wembanyama is the Spurs’ biggest weapon and their most fascinating project. He might also be one play away from watching Game 6 from a suit.
With San Antonio fighting to extend the series against New York, a moment late in Game 5 has sparked debate far beyond the final score. Jalen Brunson rose for a three-pointer, landed, and immediately hit the floor. Replays showed Wembanyama sliding into the space beneath Brunson — a spot the league has spent years trying to protect.
The referees let it go. The NBA’s Replay Center didn’t intervene. Brunson got up slowly, flexed his jaw, and said nothing to the officials. But on social media and inside the Knicks locker room, the silence was loud.
The Zaza Pachulia Rule That Makes This Matter
In 2017, the league introduced a stricter enforcement of the landing-area foul — sometimes called the Zaza Pachulia rule — after a controversial closeout injured Kawhi Leonard. Under those rules, any defender who enters a shooter’s landing space can be assessed a Flagrant 1. If the foul is deemed unnecessary and excessive, it escalates.
Here’s the complication: Wembanyama has already been flagged for a prior infraction in this postseason. Per league policy, a player who receives a Flagrant 1, followed by another Flagrant 1, is automatically suspended for the next game. Had the officials called this one, Wembanyama would have been sent to the sideline for a potential Game 6 — the very game that could decide the series.
San Antonio has not confirmed the league’s internal review. The NBA typically does not retroactively upgrade non-calls, but the missed call has fans and analysts questioning whether the officials protected a star at the cost of the rulebook.
What the Spurs Stand to Lose
Wembanyama has been the difference in this series — altering shots, crashing the glass, and pulling defenders outside their comfort zone. His absence would force San Antonio into a smaller lineup against a Knicks team that has battered the paint all postseason. Greg Popovich declined to comment on the play after the game, offering only that “the replay guys get paid for a reason.”
For the Knicks, the frustration is layered. Brunson finished the game, but the missed call could have changed the entire complexion of the series. New York already lost Game 5 in a tight finish. Now they head home knowing that a technicality might have kept their opponent whole.
The league office is expected to review the incident. Whether that review leads to anything more than a memo remains unlikely. But for one night, a single closeout has turned into the most talked-about play of the postseason.
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