Another tight Knicks playoff game, another contentious call by the referee.
And the referees weren’t slow to acknowledge it. In the last minute of the Knicks‘ Monday night at Madison Square Garden 121-117 victory against the Pacers in Game 1, New York was fortunate to have a blown kicked-ball violation call.
Refs called this a kicked ball… #INDvsNYK pic.twitter.com/lmlYF642xk
— Rate the Refs App (@Rate_the_Refs) May 7, 2024
52 seconds remained in the game, and Knicks standout Jalen Brunson tried to make a pass out of a trap as the score was tied 115-115. Guard Aaron Nesmith of the Pacers was hit by his pass, and he was called for a kicked ball violation.
However, it was evident from replays that Brunson’s pass struck Nesmith’s arm rather than his foot. Zach Zabra said,
“On the floor we felt that would be a kicked ball violation,” “Post game review did show that it hit the defender’s hand, which would be legal.”
With 40.1 seconds remaining, Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo made the game-winning 3-pointer to give the team a 118-115 lead. This additional possession set up the basket.
Is the officiating in NBA getting worse by the day?
The remainder was headed by the Knicks. Replay showed that the error was evident, but booted balls are not subject to challenge. Zabra said,
“A kicked ball violation is not reviewable and not subject to the coach’s challenge,” “The three things that teams can challenge are fouls, goaltends and out of bounds.”
Not all late calls were as contentious as this one.
With 12.1 seconds remaining, Myles Turner of the Pacers was penalized for an illegal screen on DiVincenzo, giving the Knicks a 118-117 advantage.
On replay, it seemed insignificant. The call was contested by the Pacers, but a review verified it. Rick Carlisle said after the game,
“I don’t want to talk about the officiating,” “We’re not expecting to get calls in here. It would be nice if they laid off [the illegal screen], but that’s just the way it goes. We challenged it, they reviewed it. They’ve got a bunch of people in New Jersey that agreed with it, that’s just the way it goes.
“We gotta learn from that, too. That’s a timing play, both guys are involved. We’ll have to execute that better next time,”