The New York Knicks and Nets might've played the longest game of the season. It seemed like a few extra minutes had been added to the clock each time you looked at it. A botched review and a couple of pivotal challenges down the stretch changed everything.
Things started to get chippy in the fourth quarter when Dorian Finney-Smith shoved OG Anunoby to the ground. Apparently, Finney-Smith didn't appreciate Anunoby trying to fight around his screen. Anunoby, who typically shows no emotion, popped up and went toward Finney-Smith. The two slightly pushed each other before they were separated.
Dorian Finney-Smith and OG Anunoby get into it pic.twitter.com/omUdfL4E08
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 16, 2024
The officials reviewed the play and gave Anunoby and Finney-Smith a double technical, but that wasn't all. They also called a defensive foul on Anunoby. So, Anunoby walked away from the scuffle he didn't cause with a harsher "punishment" than Finney-Smith.
The remaining nine minutes felt like an eternity. Jordi Fernandez successfully challenged two calls that took the officials approximately 30 minutes each to review. The MSG crowd was full of antsy fans who wanted the game to get on with.
Non-fans in the stands or at home who decided (or were forced) to watch the game likely wondered what the NBA hype is all about. Luckily, Jalen Brunson saved the league when he hit a game-winning three-pointer that made the wait worth it. Shoutout to Mikal Bridges for his block on the other end, too.
Really can’t blame so many fans getting turned off by the NBA. This 4th quarter in Nets-Knicks shows exactly why. Terrible calls, multiples challenges taking an eternity, just a brutal product
— March Sadness (@mo_spade) November 16, 2024
Officiating was at an all-time low in Knicks-Nets NBA Cup game
You're not alone if you're still trying to figure out how Anunoby picked up two fouls whenever all he did was fight through a screen. It's even more perplexing that the officials came to that conclusion after taking a while to review it. The defensive foul on Anunoby came out of nowhere. Surprisingly, Tom Thibodeau didn't get whistled for a technical in the process.
The head coach was asked about the call after the game, and he immediately said, "Oh, God. Don't get me going."
Tom Thibodeau was asked what he saw on the OG Anunoby-Dorian Finney-Smith double technical and the officiating tonight:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) November 16, 2024
"I see what's going on and I don't like it." pic.twitter.com/iRlINCsv1N
Thibodeau said he doesn't care how a game is called but that it needs to be called the same way on both sides. He referenced how Brunson is consistently fouled but doesn't get a whistle.
Nobody expects NBA officials to be perfect. They have a hard job, but it's getting to the point where the calls (or lack thereof at times) overshadow the basketball product. Friday night's game at MSG is an excellent example of that. The whole point of the NBA Cup is to make regular-season basketball in November exciting, not turn eyes away from the game. Someone needs to tell the officials that.