There was another potential missed call roughly 29 years ago at MSG, where Reggie Miller exploded for his signature moment only after shoving Greg Anthony.
And in the wake of Philadelphia expressing its discontent with the officiating in Tuesday’s Game 2 loss to the Knicks — even filing a grievance with the NBA — Anthony believes the Sixers should embrace the reality: it’s tough luck, and they should just move on.
“Why would you expect the officials to be perfect if the players aren’t?” Anthony, now a TNT analyst who will be calling Thursday’s game at Wells Fargo Center, told The Post. “Players miss shots. Turn the ball over. They make mistakes. Same with coaches. I don’t know why we now all assume and expect the officials to be perfect.
“Never has happened, never will happen. The reality is the Sixers have to take ownership of why they lost that game. When you lose one-possession games, you don’t necessarily lose it on the last possession.”
In its two-minute report, the NBA acknowledged it flubbbed multiple calls that could’ve changed the outcome of Game 2, most notably two non-whistles on would-be Knicks fouls before their big strip of Tyrese Maxey.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart fouled Maxey before the steal, determined the NBA, which also said an attempt from Philly coach Nick Nurse to call a timeout in that moment was ignored.
Still, there’s no realistic avenue to reverse those calls. The steal, legitimate or not, eventually turned into the go-ahead trey from Donte DiVincenzo. The Knicks won and lead the series, 2-0, which won’t change.
“There’s no question that you could make the claim that there was some contact, that there could’ve been a foul called. But the reality is you could make that claim on every possession,” Anthony said. “I can appreciate the frustration from Philly’s perspective as well. I get it. There clearly was a foul. Brunson clearly grabbed Maxey’s jersey. All that stuff can be true. It also wouldn’t be the first time when a coach is trying call a timeout and didn’t get the call. Those things are all a part of the game. You can talk about it until you’re blue in the face, but it’s not going to change the outcome.”
In Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semis, Miller, the Pacers legend, famously dropped eight points in 8.9 seconds to bury the Knicks. His big steal during that sequence occurred after he collided with Anthony, who fell to the ground and couldn’t go after an errant pass from Anthony Mason.
The Knicks lost that series in seven games and Anthony said he long ago came to grips with not getting the foul.
“Yeah, he did [push me]. But again, it doesn’t matter,” Anthony said. “It’s like if you’re speeding on the highway. You’re either going to get the ticket or not. It doesn’t mean you’re not speeding. It’s just whether or not you get the ticket. That’s the reality.”
The Knicks avoided the speed trap Tuesday and won in thrilling fashion, scoring eight straight points in the final 27 seconds.
In many ways, it was the Reggie Miller game but in reverse. Spike Lee, the Miller antagonizer in the 1990s, watched Tuesday’s thriller from his courtside seat and couldn’t keep himself grounded.
“It was spiritual,” Lee told The Post. “I was elevating.”
