New York broadcasting icon Michael Kay delivered a blunt message to the Knicks before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, arguing the team should respond physically, even violently, after Victor Wembanyama’s controversial shove of Jalen Brunson went unpunished.
Speaking on his ESPN New York radio show, Kay criticized the Knicks for failing to stand up for Brunson in Game 3 and suggested New York’s big men should make Wembanyama “feel it” every time he attacks the basket at Madison Square Garden.
Kay said on The Michael Kay Show, which aired on ESPN New York before Wednesday’s Game 4, “Make sure he feels it. Make sure he knows. That’s one thing that really bothered me the most about Game 3. Every Knick saw what happened to their leader, their captain, the guy who has gotten them to where they are, Jalen Brunson, and no one retaliated. No one.”
Kay also offered a specific suggestion.
“How about an elbow in his ribs that makes him feel it for the next three days? How about that?”
Kay Wants the ‘Pat Riley Knicks’
GettyCommentators Michael Kay wants to see Victor Wembanyama punished harshly.
Kay was careful to separate physicality from deliberate infliction of injury.
“I’m not saying go out and intentionally hurt him,” Kay said on the broadcast. “There are several big players that the Knicks have on their bench that should be allowed to rough up Wembanyama. Not hurt him, but make him feel it. Every time he goes to the basket, he should feel it. Make it like the Pat Riley Knicks.”
Kay called out Karl-Anthony Towns by name, urging the New York 7-foot, 248-pound big man to attack the paint rather than drift to the arc.
“One of you is going to get a foul,” Kay declared. “And if it’s you, make sure that Wembanyama feels that foul.”
New York leads the series 2-1. Game 4 tips off at 8:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.
The Wembanyama-Brunson Shove and the NBA’s Ruling
The confrontation came with roughly 4:44 left in the first quarter of Game 3. Brunson tried to set a screen on Wembanyama near the free-throw line. The 7-foot-4 Spurs center turned and shoved Brunson toward the floor with both hands, contact reaching the upper body and head. No foul was called. Wembanyama appeared amused when Brunson stood and confronted him.
San Antonio won 115-111, snapping New York’s 13-game postseason winning streak and cutting the series to 2-1 in the first NBA Finals game at MSG since 1999. Wembanyama had 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks; Brunson also scored 32 but committed five turnovers.
Knicks coach Mike Brown took aim at the second-half free-throw disparity after the loss — the Spurs went to the line 24 times, the Knicks just eight.
“I never thought I would be in the NBA Finals and see a team get 24 free-throw attempts in the second half to another team’s eight,” Brown said, according to Yahoo Sports reporter Ryan Young. “That’s tough to overcome when you’re playing against a great team.”
Brunson kept his response brief.
“Whatever you saw is what you saw,” he said, as quoted by Yahoo Sports.
NBA officiating chief Monty McCutchen acknowledged on ESPN on Tuesday that a foul was missed on the immediately infamous play. The league then declined to issue a retroactive flagrant foul, leaving Wembanyama at two flagrant points for the postseason, short of the four that trigger an automatic suspension. He is eligible for Game 4 and, if the Knicks adopt Kay’s approach, could be in for a physical night at Madison Square Garden.
Michael Kay Says Knicks Should Give Wembanyama ‘Elbow in His Ribs’