Game 2 of the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers first-round playoff series ended in disaster for the Sixers as they went from potentially tying the series to losing the game and being down 2-0.
After the game, it was reported that the Sixers would file a grievance with the league regarding the officiating. When the NBA released the game's Last Two Minutes report (L2M), it was revealed that the referees made several blunders that led to the Sixers' defeat.
During the latest episode of The Mark Jackson Show , former Knicks player Mark Jackson called out the referees for their inexcusable blunder.
" I hold players accountable for mistakes," said Jackson. "I hold coaches accountable for mistakes. I'm going to hold referees accountable for mistakes that are absolutely inexcusable because now you have a team down 2-0 instead of 1-1 going back home. It's a game-changer, and it's unacceptable."
Bad calls, missed calls can be a game changer
Jackson went on to give a personal experience as an example. He mentioned Larry Johnon's four-point play against his Pacers during the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals, which turned Indiana's 91-88 lead to a 91-92 defeat.
With the loss, the Pacers went from being seconds away from a 2-1 series lead to trailing 1-2. They won Game 4, and if not for that phantom call, they would've been up 3-1 on the Knicks. Instead, the teams were even after four games, and New York went on to win Games 5 and 6 to eliminate the Pacers.
" You know all of a sudden potentially have stripper Reggie Miller's legacy because he's not known as a champion today because of a call like that. So it affects you, not just for that night but moving forward. Let's get the calls right. Let's hold everybody accountable. That doesn't mean that they're bad, but you had a bad moment. If you're a player, if you're a coach, if you're a referee, be better." added Jackson.
The Knicks fouled Maxey twice on the same play
According to the NBA's Last Two Minutes report on the Knicks vs. Sixers Game 2, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart fouled Tyrese Maxey on the play where the guard lost the ball to Hart. The report also said that while all that was happening, the referees failed to acknowledge Nick Nurse calling for a timeout.
At that point, the Sixers were up 101-99 after a Brunson three. Had Nurse been granted the timeout, there would have been no turnover that led to the DiVincenzo three-pointer. But even if the refs did not notice Nurse on the sideline, they certainly should've seen either of the two fouls that led to Maxey losing the ball. That didn't happen either.
Now, Philly will have to muster all the mental fortitude it needs to bounce back from that truly heartbreaking defeat. Hopefully, this no-call won't ended up costing the Sixers.
Related: "That's totally unacceptable; to lose a game like this" - Joel Embiid sounds off on controversial end that saw Knicks take a 2-0 lead against 76ers
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