This will probably not appease the wrath of Joel Embiid who had qualified “unacceptable” the arbitration of Game 2 between the Sixers and the Knicks. But the NBA recognized that the Cameroonian was partly right. The last two minutes report published by the league on Tuesday admits several refereeing errors in the final of the match, notably on the action which gave the Knicks the lead on a ball lost by Tyrese Maxey. Two fouls were committed on the leader of the Sixers and were not whistled, recognizes the NBA.
On the baseline throw-in following a 3-point basket from Jalen Brunson, the New York leader pulls Tyrese Maxey's jersey, without a whistle being blown.
Two seconds later, Josh Hart came into contact with the freshest “Most Improved Player” of the season, causing his fall, again without intervention from the referees.
Two situations which should have justified a fault considers the “L2M”, while Donte DiVincenzo had given the advantage to the Knicks following this confusing situation. “ This defeat is for the league » Joel Embiid got carried away. “ It's for the NBA. This is for the damn referees. I hate to put the fate of the match on them, but I'm sure the report of the last two minutes will come in and we'll see what happened. »
Nick Nurse had indeed asked for a time-out…
Furthermore, the league recognizes that Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse had requested a time-out on the throw-in without this being “recognized or granted” by the referees.
“ The referee looks me straight in the eye » assured the former Raptors technician. “ He ignores me. He walked towards Tyrese, I called time out again. Then the melee began. I guess I have to run out onto the field or do something to make sure I have his attention. » The report considers, however, that the referees were right not to grant his second request for a time-out once the ball was put back into play. Tyrese Maxey was no longer in control of the ball.
Five errors on Knicks-Sixers, only one on Nuggets-Lakers
Five errors in total are admitted by the NBA during money time. The Sixers should also have benefited from a free throw for a three-second defensive situation with 74 seconds remaining, since OG Anunoby had stayed in the paint too long. The Knicks, for their part, could have gotten a whistle on the struggle to control the ball that led to Jalen Brunson's winning basket, as Joel Embiid touched Donte DiVincenzo's face with 35 seconds remaining.
The NBA is certainly making amends, but this will have no impact on the result of the match, which cannot be replayed. The league believes that human errors are part of the game and that Monday's oversights do not constitute misapplication of the rules.
The other match of the evening on Monday also saw the Lakers openly complain about the refereeing during their defeat at the buzzer at the Nuggets. The report of the last two minutes only advances one error this time, three defensive seconds forgotten to Nikola Jokic at 1:53 from the end. But LeBron James mainly complained about a situation in the third quarter, a period that is not reviewed by the end-of-game reports.
