After the New York Knicks pulled off a furious comeback in the final 30 seconds of their 104-101 Game 2 win against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, the NBA released their L2M Report that showed New York got away with fouling Tyrese Maxey on a play that resulted in the go-ahead 3-pointer.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was asked about the NBA's L2M Report, and he had a classic response:
Said Thibodeau, “I’m more concerned with the 46-minute report… I knew they couldn’t call a foul there… I’m locked into Game 3. That’s where we are.”
Thibodeau isn't wrong that NBA officials tend to allow significantly more contact, not only in the NBA Playoffs, but in the final minute of crunch time in those games. While the Knicks definitely committed a foul on Maxey, it's difficult for the officials to make that call in the moment.
Said Maxey about the wild play that doomed the 76ers' chances of winning, “I gotta be stronger with the ball. When I get on the floor, I gotta hug it and call the timeout, but it is what it is… We know that we can still win this series.”
After the game, a team spokesperson said that the 76ers planned to file a grievance with the NBA over the officiating across the first two games of the series. In addition to the aforementioned foul that wasn't called, Philly coach Nick Nurse attempted to call a timeout as Maxey was fighting for possession of the ball. The NBA L2M report ruled that the officials were correct in not granting Nurse a timeout, allowing the Knicks to take the lead on the turnover:
“Hart (NYK) cleanly steals the ball from Maxey (PHI). An attempt to call a timeout by Coach Nurse (PHI) during this play is neither recognized nor granted by the officials; the timeout request is simultaneous to Hart making contact with the ball and PHI not having possession.”
Knicks head to Philly up 2-0
With a 2-0 series lead, the Knicks head to Philadelphia looking to close things out. The 76ers are feeling confident, however. Joel Embiid expressed that confidence after Monday's heartbreaking loss.
“We should be 2-0. So, we're good,” Embiid said. “We're going to win this series. We're gonna win this. We know what we gotta fix and we did a better job today, so we're going to fix it. But we're the better team and we gonna keep fighting.”
The two biggest keys for the Knicks have been Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart and their play has elevated the team when it's been needed. New York has also been able to bother the 76ers with their defense, which has been the difference in the series up to this point.
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