The NBA Finals between San Antonio and New York got new drama, and it doesn't come from the score but from the disciplinary record of Victor Wembanyama. The French centre has racked up his third flagrant-foul point for this postseason - one more, and he automatically misses the next Finals game.

The contentious moment came in the third quarter of the fourth game. Defending a Knicks play, Wembanyama swung his right arm and caught Karl-Anthony Towns with an elbow to the face. The referees first ruled it an ordinary foul, then, after reviewing the footage, upgraded it to a flagrant 1. Towns stayed on the floor for several seconds - enough for the arena to fall silent.

Asked whether this would change his style now that he's a step away from suspension, the Frenchman didn't play diplomat. "Of course I'll be a little more careful, but there isn't much to change," he said. In other words - the same Wembanyama, just with one eye on the referees.

And it isn't the first time this postseason. In the Western Conference semifinal against Minnesota he got a flagrant 2 and an automatic suspension after a hard hit on Naz Reid, though he later avoided further penalty. In the third Finals game he again shoved Jalen Brunson hard - no penalty, but plenty of questions.

Here is the thin line every dominant defender walks. Aggression is the part of the game that makes Wembanyama what he is, but when every contact is put under a magnifying glass in the Finals, one swing can take him out of the most important game of the season. The league is watching him, opponents know it, and he says he won't change. How long can that bill stay unpaid?