The NBA said in its Last Two Minutes report released Tuesday afternoon that Brunson and Hart should have been whistled for separate fouls while going after Maxey.According to the league, Brunson “pulled Maxey's jersey away from his body,” while Hart allegedly “started it.”[d] Lower body contact that causes[d] Maxie loses her balance and falls to the floor. ”
Moments after Philadelphia lost 104-101 at Madison Square Garden, giving New York a 2-0 lead in the first round of the postseason series, 76ers center Joel Embiid said the referee said,[expletive] unacceptable. ”
“[Maxey] I did my job,” Embiid told reporters. “That's what happens in the league. That's what happens in the NBA. That's the responsibility of the referees. I don't want to force the game on them, but I'm sure there's going to be a two-minute report and we'll have a look at what happened. You will see.”
The NBA also said in its report that officials were correct in calling a timeout when 76ers coach Nick Nurse inbounded the ball and then not calling a timeout when Maxey lost the ball to Hart. Stated. Without a second call, the league announced that Maxey did not have possession of the ball. In both cases, Nurse's requests were “not acknowledged or authorized by the parties involved,” according to the league.
“The first thing that's important is obviously they score,” Nurse said after Brunson's 3-point shooting game. “We're looking to make it happen quickly. It doesn't make sense right away. We call a timeout. The referee looked straight at me. Ignored me. [The inbounds pass] I got Tyrese, so I called timeout again. Then the melee began.
“So I guess I'll have to jump out on the floor or do something to make sure I get his attention,” Nurse continued. “But we needed a timeout there to move forward.” [the ball]. It was good, but I couldn't get it. ”
76ers fans as soon as possible post Video clip of Brunson pulling on Maxey's jersey surfaced online last night, Knicks fans pointed Up until the start of the inbounds play, Maxey appeared to use both hands to push Hurts away and gain separation. The NBA said the initial interaction amounted to “marginal contact.”
The NBA identified two other moments late in the game when officials should have blown the whistle. The first came with 1:14 remaining when New York OG Anunoby was not called for a 3-second violation on defense. Then, with 35 seconds left, Embiid should have been called for a foul on DiVincenzo just before DiVincenzo made the pass that led to Brunson's three points, according to the league.
After the game, it was reported that the 76ers planned to file a complaint with the NBA about the officiating during the playoff series. Asked Tuesday if that happened or if it was still under consideration, a 76ers spokesperson said in an email that the team had “expressed our concerns to the league.” The spokesperson added that Philadelphia has no additional comment at this time.
In his postgame comments, Knicks manager Tom Thibodeau expressed concern about how officials viewed the contact with Brunson.
“I would love to see the film,” Thibodeau said. “But it looks to me like Jalen is pretty beat up. So we'll do what we have to do. There were some pretty wild finishes, but it was just the best one.”
