The New York Knicks fell to the Brooklyn Nets due to a few bad calls in the waning moments on Tuesday evening by a score of 110–112. The Knicks gave Brooklyn a run for their money, despite crawling back from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter.
The Knicks have had far more success with Alec Burks at starting point guard after taking Kemba Walker out of the rotation. The analytics indicated that the Knicks have the worst defense in the NBA per 100 possessions when Walker is on the floor, and when he’s off, they have the best defense per 100 possessions. Ultimately, head coach Tom Thibodeau tried his best to retain him and utilize him appropriately, but his homecoming has been nothing but disappointing thus far.
Nonetheless, forward Julius Randle was extremely vocal after the loss to Brooklyn, specifically regarding poor officiating. In fact, he indicated that the referees told him he wasn’t getting calls in the paint because he was “too strong.”
Well, Randle was proved right, as the league admitted he was fouled with 1:49 remaining in the game on a jump shot.
According to the New York Post, the league admitted the officiating crew made two mistakes in the final moments of the game, dictating the result:
The league ruled the foul was called correctly, but there were two mistakes — both that went against the Knicks. The NBA said there should’ve been a foul called on James Harden when he made contact with Julius Randle’s arm with 1:49 remaining on a jump shot. A frustrated Randle was later given a technical foul after arguing with the officials. Additionally, on the play that Johnson was fouled by Robinson, LaMarcus Aldridge should’ve been called for a three-second violation.
In addition, Kevin Durant executed a clear as day double dribble, and James Harden traveled with a big jump stop, landing on the same foot he jumped off of, which by definition is a foul.
The officiating crew clearly gave Brooklyn more calls, despite Knick fans overwhelming the Barclays Center.
Thibodeau is already thinking about the future, trying his best to leave the past in the past without getting too frustrated.
“You just got to move on. That’s the league,†Thibodeau said. “You can’t think about what happened yesterday. You have to think about what’s coming. So that’s where we are.â€