The Oklahoma City Thunder were like a deer in headlights in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final as Victor Wembanyama walked all over them. But in Game 2, OKC flipped the script, devising a game plan to keep Wembanyama in check.
While they evened the Western Conference Final at 1-1 on Wednesday, the way they went about their business against Wembanyama really didn’t sit well with former Slam Dunk contest champion Terrence Ross, who pulled no punches on the Thunder’s methods.
Terrence Ross Blasts Officiating Over Victor Wembanyama’s Physical Treatment
Ross’s breakdown of the physicality that Wembanyama is facing cuts to something bigger than one game. He spoke about the perceived double standard in how the French phenom is being officiated compared to the defending champions.
He pulled up a fourth-quarter tape and walked his fans through it frame by frame.
“This is the type of physicalness that they’re showing to Wemby, and refs aren’t calling anything.”
He froze on a Chet Holmgren clip and traced the contact.
“He’s holding his arm, right here. He’s on the ground. He’s holding his arm. The lob is in the air. He’s going up, his arm is still on him, and he’s grabbing him the entire time. And this is the level of maturity that Wemby has. He doesn’t complain. He just gets right back on the other end of the floor.
“These guys, as soon as somebody sneezes on them, breathes on them the wrong way, they’re complaining to the ref. They’re throwing their hands up, they’re looking around. Because they’re so used to getting the calls.”
Ross expects the scripts to flip eventually, but admired Wembanyama’s calm in such situations.
“He’s going to start getting those calls at some point, because the NBA is going to want to protect him. But at the same time, the fact that his mentality is just like ‘play through it, bro.’ Look at how many times he grabs his face from getting smacked. People are holding onto him, and they’re pushing him down. He doesn’t complain. Not once. He just plays ball. That is scary.”
WCF Games 1 and 2 do back up Ross’s read. Among those getting physical against Wemby was Isaiah Hartenstein. He played just 12 minutes in Game 1, but Mark Daigneault expanded his role for the second game.
The big man finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds, making the night miserable for Wemby. Hartenstein owned it all after the game, saying he’s “just kind of one of those players that brings physicality to the game.”
Wemby, though, focused on just playing and winning it for the Spurs. He went for 41 points and 24 rebounds in the Game 1 win. In Game 2, he attempted just two free throws.
The Thunder muscled him out of the paint and held him to 21 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 blocks. Nine of his 24 boards came on the offensive glass in Game 1, while he managed a mere 5 offensive rebounds in Game 2.
The bad blood did not end here. After Game 1, a clip went viral, appearing to show Holmgren glance down at Wembanyama’s foot, then plant his own directly on it as the two jostled for a rebound after a free throw.
Wembanyama did not react at that moment either. Thankfully, he wasn’t injured. But the internet did back him, with many calling it deliberate and dangerous. Defenders even called this out as a cost of doing business in a physical postseason. Either way, it framed everything that followed.
Daigneault waved off the idea that his team crossed a line. “That’s a physical brand that you have to deal with around the basket,” were the OKC coach’s words.
Despite fans calling out OKC and the officiating, Charles Barkley took the opposite side on Inside the NBA. “You people at home and TV talkin’ about they were physical with Wemby, man, y’all need to stop it. I’ve been kissed harder. There was no excessive fouls. For you people thinking that’s physicality, y’all need to shut the hell up.”
OKC won Game 2 122-113 to tie the series. Game 3 is at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio on Saturday, May 23, 8:30 pm ET.
