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Extremely questionable playoff officiating continues to screw Knicks

By Jordanna Clark

MIAMI, FL - MAY 08: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks talks with referee Zach Zarba #15 during game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on May 08, 2023 in Miami, Florida. The Heat won the game 109-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,  by downloading and or using this photograph,  User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MAY 08: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks talks with referee Zach Zarba #15 during game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center on May 08, 2023 in Miami, Florida. The Heat won the game 109-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that,  by downloading and or using this photograph,  User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /
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The New York Knicks are not in a 3-1 deficit in the Eastern Conference Semifinals because of the officiating. The Knicks are in a 3-1 deficit because they’ve forgotten what helped them pull out a 4-1 series win in the first round — the little things. However, the whistle that the Knicks have gotten has been questionable at best.

New York’s effort in Game 4 was pathetic. Each time the Knicks were able to cut into the Heat’s lead and give fans hope, New York would suddenly find itself facing a double-digit deficit once again. Whether it be not going after loose balls, not crashing the glass, or making a careless turnover, the Knicks couldn’t claw their way back to gain the lead.

The Knicks were struggling to help themselves, but it certainly didn’t help that the game ended with a series of controversial calls against New York.

It couldn’t get much worse than that, right? Wrong. In the first quarter of Game 5, the Knicks were whistled for nine fouls and a terrible flagrant foul call on Josh Hart. Three of those fouls were offensive fouls on three consecutive offensive possessions for New York. If you thought that the Knicks were going to get a favorable whistle on their home court in an elimination game (we’re looking at you, Berman), think again.

Knicks continue to get screwed by officiating in critical Game 5 against Heat

New York did itself no favors by scoring only 14 points in the first quarter. It seemed as if the Knicks didn’t learn anything from Game 4 as they were still caught watching and getting beat on the glass. The last thing that was needed, though, was for the officials to step in and try to take over the game (again). That’s what happened, but luckily, New York was able to finally get into an offensive groove in the second quarter.

It’s getting hard to tell what’s a moving screen and what isn’t. Bam Adebayo gets by with an average of 100 moving screens per game, but apparently he has free range to do what he wants when it comes to setting screens. There desperately needs to be some type of consistency.

If the Knicks lose Game 5 (and hopefully that won’t happen), the blame shouldn’t be placed on the officiating. It should be said that there has clearly been an issue with officiating across the NBA as a whole this season, which is why in an anonymous players poll conducted by The Athletic (subscription required), 25.8% of the 70 responses from players indicated that officiating is the league’s biggest issue.

Fans filed into MSG on Wednesday to watch the Knicks and Heat, not the officials. NBA fans across the globe tuned in to watch the Knicks and Heat, not the officials. Give the people what they want!

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