The league decided the judgment was wrong, and had the sense to say so.
In the aftermath of a tightly contested NBA Finals game, the league exercised a rare act of institutional humility — reviewing a technical foul called against Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and determining it should not have stood. The moment itself, a shoving match with San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama near the paint, was no more Robinson's doing than his opponent's, and the league acknowledged as much. New York had already secured the road victory, 105-104, to take a 2-0 series lead, but the rescission speaks to something older than basketball: the willingness to revisit a judgment and admit it fell short.
- A technical foul in the closing stretch of a Finals game threatened to tilt the outcome, awarding San Antonio free throws and possession in a one-possession contest.
- The Knicks survived anyway — Brunson's go-ahead free throw held, Wembanyama's final shot rimmed out, and New York stole a road win to go up 2-0.
- The NBA's post-game review found Robinson had been unfairly singled out in a mutual physical exchange, and the technical was officially wiped from the record.
- Robinson remains a vulnerability the Spurs intend to exploit — his 32% free throw rate this postseason has already invited deliberate 'Hack-a-Mitch' fouling when he's on the floor.
- The series now shifts to Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will host their first Finals game since 1999, carrying momentum and a fragile but functional Robinson.
The NBA reviewed a technical foul from Game 2 of the Finals and decided it had gotten the call wrong. Mitchell Robinson, New York's center, had been penalized during a shoving match with Victor Wembanyama near the paint late in the first half — but upon reflection, the league determined both players were equally physical, and Robinson shouldn't have been singled out.
The Knicks had already won the game, 105-104, in a road victory that pushed their series lead to 2-0. The final sequence was cinematic: Brunson hit a go-ahead free throw after Wembanyama committed a turnover and foul, and when the Spurs' seven-foot-four star rose for a last-second look, the shot rimmed out. The technical never decided the outcome, but it easily could have.
Robinson played just 14 minutes, contributing seven points, three rebounds, a block, and a steal — all while managing a surgically repaired pinky finger on his right hand, injured just days before the Finals began. He's a key reserve for the Knicks, spelling Karl-Anthony Towns when needed, but his 32% free throw rate this postseason makes him a deliberate target. When Towns picked up early foul trouble in Game 2, San Antonio went straight to the 'Hack-a-Mitch' strategy, and coach Mitch Johnson is expected to use it again.
The rescission changes nothing on the scoreboard, but it matters as a gesture — an acknowledgment that the whistle got it wrong, and that the league was willing to say so. The series now heads to Madison Square Garden, where New York will host its first Finals game since 1999.
The NBA looked back at a moment from Game 2 of the Finals and decided it had gotten the call wrong. Mitchell Robinson, the New York Knicks' center, had been hit with a technical foul during a shoving match with San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama near the paint late in the first half. After review, the league rescinded it—an acknowledgment that Robinson shouldn't have been singled out when both men were equally physical in their battle for position.
The Knicks had won that game 105-104 on Friday, a road victory that pushed their series lead to 2-0. It was the kind of win that matters in the Finals, stolen in enemy territory with everything on the line. The technical, which would have awarded San Antonio free throws and possession, never ended up deciding the outcome, but it was the sort of call that could have. Robinson was defending Wembanyama on the final possession when the Spurs' seven-foot-four phenom rose for what looked like a clean look at the basket. The shot rimmed out. Devin Vassell grabbed the rebound, but there was no time left. Jalen Brunson had already hit the go-ahead free throw after Wembanyama's turnover and foul, and that was enough.
Robinson played just 14 minutes in the game, finishing with seven points, three rebounds, a block, and a steal. He's been operating all series with a surgically repaired pinky finger on his right hand—an injury he suffered at home just days before the Finals began. The Knicks had swept Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals, giving them time to prepare, but Robinson's availability was still a question mark. He serves as a key reserve for head coach Mike Brown's team, spelling Karl-Anthony Towns when fatigue or foul trouble demands it, and he's a presence in the paint on both ends.
What makes Robinson a target, though, is his free throw shooting. He's converting just 32 percent from the line this postseason, making him 16 of 50 across 15 games. San Antonio recognized this immediately. When Towns got into foul trouble in the second quarter, the Spurs deployed what's known as the "Hack-a-Mitch" strategy—deliberately fouling Robinson to send him to the line, where he's likely to miss. It's a calculated gamble that the Knicks' bench player will hurt his team more than help it from the free throw line. Mitch Johnson, San Antonio's head coach, will almost certainly use that approach again if the opportunity presents itself.
Both teams have played with an edge so far in this series. The physicality has been real, the fouls have been hard, and the margins have been thin. The technical on Robinson was part of that texture—a moment where the referees had to make a judgment call in real time. Upon reflection, the NBA decided the judgment was wrong. It's a small correction in a series that's already heading back to Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will host their first Finals game at home since 1999. The rescission won't change what happened on the court, but it's a recognition that sometimes the whistle gets it wrong, and sometimes the league has the good sense to say so.
Citas Notables
Robinson was defending Wembanyama on the final possession when the seven-foot-four phenom rose for what looked like a clean look at the basket. The shot rimmed out.— Game recap
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does it matter that the NBA rescinded this technical after the fact? The Knicks won the game anyway.
Because technical fouls are about possession and free throws—they're momentum changers. If San Antonio had converted those shots, the whole complexion of the game changes. The league is saying: we made an error in judgment, and we're correcting it for the record.
But Robinson was involved in the shoving match. Why shouldn't he have been called?
Both players were fighting for position. Wembanyama threw his hands up too. The inconsistency is what the league was addressing—why penalize only Robinson when it was mutual?
I noticed Robinson is a terrible free throw shooter. Is that going to be a problem for the Knicks?
It already is. San Antonio is going to keep fouling him intentionally. At 32 percent, he's hurting his team more from the line than he helps on the court. That's a real strategic vulnerability.
He's also playing with a surgically repaired finger. Does that affect his shooting?
Possibly, though the timing is brutal—he injured it just before the Finals started. Whether it's affecting his mechanics or just his confidence, it's hard to say. Either way, he's a liability at the line right now.
What does this say about how physical these Finals are?
Both teams are playing hard, testing the refs constantly. The technical on Robinson was just one moment in a series where every possession matters and every call gets scrutinized. The league is trying to get it right.