Negative Reinforcement in the NBA Finals

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     On June 13th, 2026, the New York Knicks won the NBA Finals for the first time in 53 years. In an electric five game series, the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs, narrowly beating them 94-90 in the final game. Fans around the country celebrated the hard fought championship win, however, many viewers had a bone to pick with the officiating throughout the series. Knicks fans claimed that the officiating was skewed to favor the Spurs, particularly their star player, Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama, the NBA’s first overall draft pick in 2023, quickly became a fan favorite and top player not only for San Antonio, but throughout the entire league; it was widely known that he would be the biggest obstacle for the Knicks in the Finals. 


In basketball, when a player commits unnecessary and severe contact against an opponent, whether it is intentional or not, they can be assessed a Flagrant Foul 1, which is worth one point against the player. Throughout the playoffs, if a player accumulates four or more points against him, he will be suspended for one game. Going into game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Knicks, Wembanyama had acquired three flagrant foul points against him, meaning if he committed one more, he would be suspended for one game. The flagrant foul points system would be considered positive punishment; in response to a player’s actions, a consequence is added (flagrant foul point), and since those points can lead to a punishment, the behavior, in theory, would be reduced. Wembanyama, however, is one of the main reasons why viewers wanted to watch the NBA Finals, in my opinion. If he was suspended for a game, viewership would likely go down. Therefore, if you ask me, the NBA would not want to punish him in order to avoid a suspension and keep viewership up.

In game 4 of the Finals, Wembanyama committed what looked like a typical flagrant foul 1 against Knicks captain, Jalen Brunson. Wembanyama was only assisted a regular foul, though, and the NBA declined to upgrade the foul after the game. It seems as if Wembanyama learned that his negative behavior would not lead to consequences, because in game 5 of the series, he once again committed unnecessary contact against Jalen Brunson, stomping on his foot without punishment. Wembanyama’s behavior throughout the NBA Finals can be described as a result of negative reinforcement. Time and time again, he has committed dirty and unnecessary contact with opponents, but received no punishment for it; therefore, since he learned there would be no consequences to his actions, he was more likely to continue this behavior. 

Wembanyama’s actions in the NBA Finals are a textbook example of negative reinforcement. Despite this, though, his lack of punishment and his dirty behavior being reinforced was not enough to help his team win the championship, and New York took home the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Knicks in 5!


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