There aren’t many ethical ways to stop Victor Wembanyama. The 7’4″ Spurs center took one tumble after another as the Timberwolves attempted to be physical, trying to stop him. Wemby hit one back, an elbow to Naz Reid, out of frustration. That stands as the moment the San Antonio cornerstone learned how to maintain his composure. Wembanyama’s unaffected and focused demeanor was on full display in his conference finals debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 22-year-old put up a historic performance, still being guarded with bumps and hits.

The Thunder thrive on playing with physicality on the defensive end. That’s also the only option to interrupt Wembanyama’s rhythm. However, Chet Holmgren had a dangerous maneuver while trying to box out the Spurs sensation. Holmgren risked injuring his long-time rival when the Thunder center stepped on Wembanyama’s leg to prevent him from jumping. It was hard for the referees to catch.

Holmgren made a last-minute, subtle move to plant his foot over Wembanyama. The strategy was successful, one of the few times, OKC managed to stop Victor Wembanyama from doing whatever he wanted. Because for most of the 58 minutes of their double-overtime thriller, Wembanyama seemed invincible. Despite the physicality, he launched himself into the annals of history with a stellar performance in Game 1.

Playing on the Thunder’s home floor, the reigning DPOY scored 41 points, grabbed 24 rebounds, and had three rejections. Victor Wembanyama single-handedly guided the Spurs during overtime, scoring 9 of their last 14. Nothing could stop him on a night when Wemby was already motivated to be brutal. Watching Shai Gilgeous-Alexander lift the MVP trophy in front of him filled him with rage and the determination to make a resounding statement.

That’s exactly what Victor Wembanyama did.

NBA fans react to Chet Holmgren’s dangerous play

Victor Wembanyama’s Game 1 heroics grabbed the headlines. However, they hadn’t noticed Holmgren’s dangerous action against the Spurs talisman. “This is s–t disgusting. League needs to send a fine man,” a fan wrote. The Thunder forward, also a DPOY finalist, couldn’t contain Wembanyama at any stage when matched up against him. His matchup’s performance proved it. And fans either way have a bone to pick against the Thunder.

They’ve felt OKC gets away with a lot of fouling. Technically, this could have been called too, but it would be hard for the referees to spot. The bigger concern among fans, though, was the fact that it could have gotten ugly. “Bro turned boxing out into a crime scene investigation,” another fan said, reacting to the play.

Had Wembanyama actually tried to explode off his right foot, there could have been some serious consequences. Holmgren also has a wiry frame, but as another 7-footer, he is still heavy. Furthermore, Victor Wembanyama was limited in the regular season after suffering various lower-body ailments, too. A fan actually even tried to highlight the play to the Thunder fanbase. “Sorry, OKC fans, but you can’t defend this garbage,” the fan wrote.

There were also attacks against Chet Holmgren. A furious fan termed him, “You dirty player, you!”. Usually, Holmgren doesn’t walk the path of being ruthless while playing. He has actually been called out for flopping more than anything else. One play won’t make the Thunder star a dirty player. However, this was a dirty play that could have resulted in a genuine injury for Victor Wembanyama.

Aside from the shared anger, some fans actually sided with Wembanyama for having a rivalry with Holmgren. “No wonder Wemby hates him,” one fan commented. Their rift began long before they stepped foot in the NBA. But Wemby plays with extra determination against Holmgren because he couldn’t secure a gold medal when playing in the U-19 tournament. They’ve never crossed a dirty line. Wembanyama is just keen on taking him on and being intentional about the same.