The sports media discourse surrounding the closing seconds of Monday’s Game 1 between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks has already exploded into a firestorm of debate. The controversial foul call on Myles Turner has overshadowed New York’s Game 1 victory, with analysts and fans divided on whether it was a game-stealing mistake by the refs or a savvy play by Donte DiVincenzo.
From the analyst’s point of view, however, it has been more of a “You can’t make that call in that situation” level of thinking, with Stan Van Gundy of TNT Sports lamenting the phantom foul as an act of Broadway. It’s also seen ESPN talking heads like Jay Williams take aim at the league for another officiating blunder.
And on Tuesday’s Get Up, the ESPN analyst didn’t hold back any punches.
“Indiana got robbed, we got robbed one of the best moments and most exciting games that we’ve seen throughout the playoffs last night,” said Williams. “That’s the reality — I mean, that screen happens so many times throughout the course of the game. And as (Tim Legler) brought up in Hour 1, the screen is literally the possession before that. DiVincenzo has both arms up and is moving, and they didn’t call that a moving screen. But they called Myles Turner at that critical possession of the game a moving screen?
“It makes no sense. I think it was an embarrassment to the league.”
ESPN’s Jay Williams sounded off on the officiating in the closing seconds of Monday’s Game 1 between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers:
“It makes no sense. I think it was an embarrassment for the league.” pic.twitter.com/IPfPlAmSZ9
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 7, 2024
Mike Greenberg switched his attention to DiVincenzo’s questionable screen with under a minute to play in Monday’s game. He pointed out, with a hint of exasperation, that there were “like three different illegal things he does on that play,” referring to the illegal screen that probably should’ve been called a few seconds prior.
“I just want to say, Greeny, is that referees are there to facilitate the game,” said Williams. “But unless it’s egregious coming down the stretch, let the players determine the outcome. That’s all you ask for as a player.”
Unfortunately, that did not happen, and it let another game’s discourse be about officiating rather than a fantastic display of playoff basketball.
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About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.