NBA's Wembanyama suspension decision keeps Spurs in driver's seat

ESPN's Shams Charania just reported that the NBA will not be disciplining Victor Wembanyama any further after elbowing Naz Reid in the throat in the second quarter of last night's game. The decision was expected, as the Alien was forced to miss the majority of Game 4, so there's no surprise there. He won't even be receiving a fine, so the Spurs can just get back to dominating this series.

I know it sounds crazy to say that San Antonio has dominated a series they're tied 2-2 in, but if you've been watching the games, you understand what I mean. The Silver and Black have led in more than 60% of the series. Every night sees the Timberwolves trying to steal games they trailed in for the vast majorty of the contest, and it's only going to get worse now.

The Spurs will be more focused than ever

It's safe to say that Wembanyama is one of those special players with a unique mindset that only guys like Kobe Bryant have. When you irritate those competitors, there are usually consequences, and nobody can smother their opponents' flame like the Alien. He'll be determined to put his stamp on the game because two things are true: he cost his team a win, and he's tired of Minnesota's BS.

We've seen Naz Reid push Wemby in the back when he was running down the floor, sending him careening under the basket for no reason. It's been their entire strategy to slow Vic down. They want to beat him up, trying to get away with every little trick in the book. On the play in question, they held his arm, leg, and jersey, before grabbing his arm again and slapping him in the face before the elbow came.

Had they called any of the preceding fouls, there never would have been an elbow. The Spurs embrace playoff physicality, but there has to be some semblance of an effort to protect players. We saw what happened when the refs didn't do their jobs, and nobody wants to see the next great all-time great superstar sidelined for playoff games.

So far in this series, we've seen him rack up 12 blocks, and we've seen a 39-point scorcher. He can reach heights nobody else in the league can, and the Timberwolves are going to feel that on Tuesday night. With a squad as close as the Spurs', expect his teammates to go along for the ride, too. They'll have their star's back just as they fought hard to steal a win when he went out in Game 4.

There's no fear or timidness in this ball club. When you hit them, they hit you back... hard.

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