The Post got it right, and the NBA got it wrong.
Those were essentially the words of Knicks owner James Dolan during an interview on WFAN on Wednesday, hours before the critical Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Dolan was referring to the NBA’s decision not to retroactively assess a flagrant foul on Victor Wembanyama for tossing Jalen Brunson to the ground in the first quarter of Game 3. There was somehow no foul called on the play, either.
“So, I’m a Governor of the NBA, right, I’m restricted and bound by the rules of the NBA, of which there are a lot. There’s little that I can say,” Dolan said. “I will say if you read the cover of The New York Post today, I think they got it right. Hopefully, that won’t get me in trouble.”
The cover included an old-school Wanted poster with Wembanyama in the act of shoving Brunson to the floor. The charge was a flagrant foul and the reward was an NBA trophy.
Later in the interview, Dolan pulled a quasi-Joe Namath, making a prediction for Game 4 and the rest of the series. He professed his belief that his team will win its first championship since 1973 and bounce back from the disappointing Game 3 loss Monday.
“I expect to win tonight, being as [when] I make predictions here they come true,” he said, referring to the WFAN studio. “We’ll win tonight and we’ll win the Finals.”
The Knicks saw their franchise-record, 13-game playoff winning streak come to an end Monday, but they still led the series 2-1 entering Wednesday night. A lot had been made of the officiating that has gone in the Spurs’ favor — they attempted 10 more free throws than the Knicks in Game 3 and coach Mike Brown complained about the discrepancy — but Dolan believed the Knicks will prevail.
“Look, in the end, it’s not who we play, and it’s not the officiating. It’s how we play,” Dolan said. “If the team that comes out on the floor tonight is the Knicks we know and love, there’s nothing that can stop them. Not missed calls, not 7-foot-4 aliens [like Wembanyama]. Nothing will stop them if they play their game. I believe in these guys. Everybody should believe in them, too, because they can do it.
“San Antonio is not an easy opponent. But if our guys come out and play the game they know they can play, we will win this game and we will win this series.”
