The New York Knicks were lucky to come away with a second victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. A wild sequence ensued near the final 47.3 seconds of the game that New York happened to be on the right side of.
Known for their physicality, the Knicks pushed the envelope of what they could get away with. With no whistles being blown, they were able to overcome a five-point deficit in that period and escaped with a 104-101 win.
It was a loss that many people on the 76ers are not taking well. Head coach Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid shared strong emotions about how the end of the game went and were not happy with the NBA referees.
The two-minute report that the NBA shares certainly didn’t make them any better. It revealed that several calls were missed that would have helped Philadephia ice the game away and even the series at one win apiece.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was asked his opinion on the two-minute report, but he is paying no mind to it. He’d like to see a report on the first 46 minutes of the game when calls weren’t going the way of his star point guard, Jalen Brunson.
Asked about the 2-minute report, Tom Thibodeau says he’s more concerned about ‘the 46-minute report.” Says that he knew refs couldn’t call fouls there because of the way they officiated Jalen Brunson during Game 2.
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 24, 2024
Brunson has been the topic of discussion several times this season when it comes to how he is officiated. Some NBA analysts consider him a foul hunter in the same way as Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan and James Harden, which has been debunked by several statistics.
While New York has had some legitimate gripes about the officiating, the 76ers do now as well with what the two-minute report revealed. As a result, they are filing a grievance with the NBA about the officiating in Game 2.
That was another thing that Thibodeau was asked about during his press conference. It isn’t something that he is concerned about, as he is focused on getting his team prepared for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Tom Thibodeau is asked about the NBA's Last 2 Minute report from Game 2:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 24, 2024
"I'm more concerned with the 46-minute report…I knew they couldn't call a foul there."
On the Sixers filing a grievance with the league: "I'm locked into Game 3, we don't get sidetracked with that stuff" pic.twitter.com/bZJyDkEc2B
It would be shocking if the NBA did anything with that grievance other than dismissing it. Normally, the only precedent for a game being reset is a misinterpretation or mistake of the rules in place. The last time a game was restarted it was because the number of fouls assessed to a player was incorrect.
Human error, in this case, the NBA referee crew missing a call, does not fall under that. The Knicks learned that the hard way when an incorrect foul call was made against them at the buzzer against the Houston Rockets, resulting in a brutal loss in regulation instead of an overtime period being played.
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