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The NBA has officially admitted an officiating error regarding Tyrese Maxey’s four-point play in the last 25 seconds of the 76ers Game 5 win over the Knicks, confirming New York was blatantly robbed on Tuesday.
Game 5 NBA Last 2 Minute Report finds 4 bad calls, 3 favoring the Sixers––including that Tyrese Maxey traveled on his 4-point play "Maxey gathers the ball on his left foot, takes two legal steps, and then moves his right foot again just before he is fouled on his shot." pic.twitter.com/s3RGEDYS7z
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 1, 2024
The league’s Last 2 Minute Report indicated that Maxey committed a traveling violation by moving his right foot after taking two legal steps, just before being fouled by Mitchell Robinson.
Had the refs called traveling on the play, the Knicks would have gotten the ball back with a sizable lead and 25 seconds left. Instead, they saw Maxy bag a trey and a freebie, cutting the distance to a meager two points.
More referee drama:
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) May 1, 2024
The last 2 minute report from Game 5 says that Tyrese Maxey traveled before his four-point play with 25 seconds left. Should have been a turnover and Knicks ball with Knicks up seven.
After that sequence, Josh Hart went to the free-throw line scoring just one of his attempts, putting the Knicks up three. Following that, Maxey threw a hail mary from the logo and scored another miracle three-point shot to send the game to OT...
...only because Nico Batum blocked Jalen Brunson’s last-gasp effort on a buzzer-beating attempt...
...that actually, per the NBA, should have led to another play run by the Knicks with 0.4 seconds left in regulation.
Two sequences, two robberies, series heading for a Game 6 following Philly’s OT win. Extraordinary.
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But wait, there’s more!
During overtime, another critical oversight was recorded when Josh Hart of the Knicks was incorrectly ruled out of bounds, depriving the Knicks of another possession when trailing by two points with 41 seconds left.
Speaking after the game, Maxey told reporters that he “just tried to get to a spot and raise and shoot,” on that pivotal four-point play. “Thankfully, [Mitchell Robinson] jumped and I didn’t get my feet set right away to shoot it,” Maxey said, “I was able to just kind of lean in and make a shot.”
With the refs help and a whole bunch of luck, the Sixers forced Game 6 to be played later today, May 2, in Philadelphia in front of a crowd full of Knickerbocker fanatics.
Keep an eye on the zebras, they better make up for this screwup.
Knicks in six.
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