The Philadelphia 76ers were on the verge of tying their first-round series against the New York Knicks on Monday night in the Big Apple. But a wild ending to Game 2 ended costing the Sixers a win and giving the Knicks a 104-101 victory to go up in the series, 2-0.
However, many fans, mostly angry 76ers supporters, felt poor officiating in the crucial moments of the contest was to blame for Philly’s meltdown more than anything else. The particular they have been questioning was the non-call on Jalen Brunson, who appeared to grab the jersey of Tyrese Maxey just before Josh Hart’s steal that led to a go-ahead 3-pointer by Donte DiVincenzo.
Philadelphia 76ers Raises Hell Over Perceived Blunder by Refs Late in Game 2 of Knicks Series
Did you ever hold anybody this obviously & get away with a no call @JasonKelce? pic.twitter.com/WifBP4nmAZ
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) April 23, 2024
“And yet Jalen Brunson gets a foul call and free throws if you look at him wrong, NBA is so rigged it’s actually ridiculous,” said @css_debates on X (the social media channel formerly known as Twitter).
“Tyrese Maxey gets fucking mauled and the refs do jack shit because they have Knick ML.YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS SHIT UP. WE GOT ABSOLUTELY FUCKING JOBBED,” lamented @mccrystal_alex.
“Between the league wanting a BOS NY matchup, and the refs absolutely betting on games what’s the point of watching?” chimed in @mia_nj.
“The fix is in. The NBA wants the Knicks to win cause it’s better for the NBA. it’s no way that wasn’t a foul. Then Nick Nurse calls time out twice during that same play, and they don’t give it to him. All that being said if Embiid grabs 1 reb instead of just standing there we win,” shared @CloudStrife0003.
“Pathetic The NBA has to do something with this ref crew,” a clearly disappointed @Beardaknowledge said.
In addition to the apparent non-call, the 76er also rued the part where the refs did not give Philly the timeout Nick Nurse asked for just before Maxey coughed up the ball.
In any case, the 76ers will look to avoid a 0-3 hole in the series when they take their turn to host the Knicks in Game 3 on Thursday.
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