Tom Thibodeau sums up how Knicks fans feel about poor officiating

If you’re a New York Knicks fan that’s still trying to figure out what a foul is after Monday’s 123-121 overtime loss to Toronto, you’re not alone. The officials weren’t responsible for the Knicks’ missed free throws and inability to rebound down the stretch, but there were quite a few questionable calls made (and missed) that shouldn’t happen in an NBA game.

Postgame, Tom Thibodeau summed up the way that many Knicks fans felt about the officiating. It’s not often that fans find themselves agreeing with Thibodeau, but in this instance, it’s hard not to.

Asking Scott Foster to ref a game consistently is like asking Mitchell Robinson to hit a game-winning three, but alas, Thibs is right. If referees are going to let players be physical, or if they’re going to call ticky-tack fouls, it needs to happen on both ends. That wasn’t the case on Monday.

Tom Thibodeau addresses questionable officiating after Knicks’ overtime loss

Tom Thibodeau is always fired up on the sideline regardless of whether the Knicks are winning or losing, but in Monday’s postgame presser, he didn’t accuse the referees of being the reason why New York lost (because they weren’t). Instead, he respectfully said that he wants consistency on both ends of the floor. He added, “Again, I want to watch to make sure I saw what I thought I saw.”

By this point, Thibodeau has likely already confirmed that what he saw on the sideline is what he also saw on the film.

A call that was missed that could’ve changed the outcome of the game happened on New York’s final possession in the fourth quarter. After Scottie Barnes missed his second free throw that would’ve put Toronto up by three, RJ Barrett got the rebound and drove down the floor for an epic dunk over Barnes that forced overtime.

Instead of blowing the whistle for an and-1 opportunity because Barnes was holding onto Barrett’s arm, it was a no-call. If Barnes was whistled for the foul, Barrett would’ve had the opportunity to knock down a free throw to complete the three-point play to put the Knicks up by one, which would’ve resulted in a win.

Similar to Thibodeau, Barrett didn’t focus solely on the officiating although he was involved in the most pivotal play of the game. He did his job.

With such a close loss, it’s hard to not focus on the questionable officiating, but at the end of the day, New York could’ve performed better in crunch time (have you heard that one before?). Just do all Knicks fans a favor and don’t let Scott Foster back into MSG again, please.

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