Another controversial late-game call left the NBA world stunned and calling out yet another ref show.
Plenty of analysts could not believe the referees called a moving screen violation against the Pacers that ultimately defined the Knicks’ 121-117 win in Game 1 against Indiana on Monday at The Garden.
That’s without even mentioning the admitted missed call by the referees on a kicked ball that led to a potential five- or six-point swing in a tie game in the final minute.
“The charge call on (Myles) Turner was reprehensible,” noted Celtics fan and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons posted on X. “Come on.”
For the second time in four home games this postseason, a Knicks win has been overshadowed by shoddy refereeing that helped the Knicks emerge with the victory.
The referees admitted to missing a call in the Knicks’ win over the 76ers’ in Game 2 that gave them a 2-0 series lead, and Monday’s refereeing helped the Knicks grab a 1-0 lead.
The Knicks were on the other end of officials’ incompetence when they admitted to missing a travel on 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey that aided his late-game heroics in Game 5.
While the NBA has already owned up to wrongly calling a kicked ball that prevented a Pacers fast break in a 115-all game, there has been more scrutiny on the moving violation in the final 15 seconds.
With the Knicks leading 118-117, Turner came to set a screen on Donte DiVincenzo and the referees ruled Turner had committed an infraction on the play.
DiVincenzo appeared to embellish the contact, which may have influenced the call.
Stan Van Gundy on the TNT broadcast could not believe the call.
“That is shocking. You never see that call at this point in the game. I mean, never,” Van Gundy said. “That is a great acting job. Lotta great actors here in New York City; you see ’em on Broadway all the time. That’s as good an acting job as you’ll see. He technically was moving a little bit. Wow, did Donte DiVincenzo act on that one.”
Indiana challenged the call but it was not overturned, and the Knicks scored the final three points to ice the game.
The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report will provide more details on the call, but experts seemed to have two main issues with the call.
The first is simply that, well, you don’t call that foul in that spot.
It seemed most agreed that even if Turner was slightly moving in that spot, like offensive holding in the NFL, you could call that foul on each play in the game.
A similar call ruined Iowa’s Final Four win over UConn and earned condemnation.
“You don’t make that call at this stage of the game. HORRIBLE!” ESPN’s Jay Williams tweeted.
Yahoo’s Tom Haberstroh mentioned how the referees overruled an earlier call on Jalen Brunson with plenty of contact but then ruled Turner crossed a line.
“How was that Brunson block not a foul on review but that moving screen is a foul,” Haberstroh posted. “Don’t answer that.”
Some also seemed to think that DiVincenzo flopped.
“That is a horrific call,” Doug Gottlieb posted. “I love everything about Nova guys, except how much they flop.”
The general consensus among analysts seemed to be that the referees just needed to swallow their whistle in that spot and let the teams decide the outcome.
“Knicks probably win that game w/o the bad calls. But you can’t call that illegal screen and not expect it to be the story of the game,” Andrew Perloff tweeted. “Officials screwed everyone.”
Added Knicks fan Rob Perez, known as WorldWideWob on X: “I don’t feel like we got away with one, and you can’t convince me otherwise. I hate that the conversation from this awesome game will revolve around the officiating in the final minute. The simple answer and solution to that Myles Turner screen is never calling it.”