NBA admits 3 critical mistakes were made in chaotic 76ers-Knicks ending

The New York Knicks held serve at home after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 104-101 at Madison Square Garden in Game 2 of the teams’ first-round playoff series. It was a miraculous comeback for New York, which trailed 101-96 with less than 50 seconds remaining before a wild series of events got them the win – events that should have never taken place, according to the NBA’s last two minute report.

“That’s on the league. That’s on the NBA,” Sixers star Joel Embiid said following the game per ESPN. “That’s on the frigging referees. I hate to put the game on them. But I am sure the two-minute report is going to come out and we are going to see what happened.”

Well, that two-minute report did come out and Embiid, unfortunately for Philadelphia, was correct.

Officials missed multiple calls in 76ers-Knicks ending

The above video shows a crazy sequence of events that led to New York’s critical Game 2 win. According to the last two minute report, which is always released by the NBA the day after a game, the referees got the following calls wrong, all within the final 30 seconds and Philadelphia leading 101-99 (h/t CBS Sports):

• With 27.2 seconds left, an attempt to call timeout by Sixers coach Nick Nurse was “neither recognized nor granted by the officials.”
  • That led Kyle Lowry to force a hurried inbounds pass to Tyrese Maxey.
• New York’s Jalen Brunson pulled Maxey’s jersey on that inbounds pass, “which affects Maxey’s ability to secure the pass,” the L2M report said. The foul on Brunson wasn’t called.
• Immediately after, Knicks guard Josh Hart “steps forward into Maxey’s (PHI) space and initiates lower body contact that causes Maxey to lose his balance and fall to the floor.”

The ensuing loose ball was picked up by Hart, who found Donte DiVincenzo open behind the 3-point line. DiVincenzo missed, but New York’s Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound and kicked it out to DiVincenzo for a second opportunity, which he drilled to put the Knicks ahead for good.

Maxey – who, coincidentally was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player the day after the loss – took the high road when asked about the chaotic ending and the officials’ missed calls.

We still had chances to win the game,” he said. “We can’t leave games in other people’s hands. We have to take it.”

A series tied 1-1 heading back to Philly is dramatically different than the 76ers going home in an 0-2 hole. Maxey’s right – his team had its chances to win before that final sequence and need to move on. But it’s going to sting that three crucial calls were missed in the span of 2.3 seconds that could have changed the outcome of the game.

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