With the NBA playoffs, everything gets a lot crazier. Fans are more energized, and players play with a greater sense of urgency. However, it seems the NBA’s media partners are having trouble adjusting to the growing postseason engagement. Notably, broadcasting errors are occurring at an alarming rate.

This time, it happened during Game 2 of the first-round series between the Hawks and the Knicks. Late in the game, after CJ McCollum missed a free-throw, the scoreboard incorrectly updated the Knicks’ timeout count. It displayed an available timeout for Mike Brown, pushing the impression that they would have the chance to draw up a final play.

But in actuality, the Knicks had used all of their timeouts. So, when they pushed the ball up the floor, everybody was confused. Some fans turned against Brown for opting not to use his final timeout when, in reality, there never was one. The error from NBC seemed to have been influenced by their announcers.

At first, when McCollum went to the charity stripe, the broadcast correctly displayed no timeouts for the New York Knicks. However, NBC announcers Jamal Crawford and Noah Eagle were certain Brown had one in his pocket. That’s when the scorecard updated to show an additional timeout for the Knicks. Even the announcers exuded surprise at the fact that Brown opted against a timeout.

An incorrect graphic won’t mislead coaches and players at the arena. However, fans are appealing to Adam Silver to improve broadcasting accuracy, as it is an inconvenience for fans watching from home.

NBA fans are getting frustrated by graphic errors

For those who travel to arenas and watch games, there is rarely a case of inaccurate information. Most of the Knicks’ fandom at MSG knew the team had to run hard for the final play. But the fans watching at home? “Awful, didn’t know if they had a TO or not,” one fan wrote about the error.

It’s frustrating to be misled by such errors. Imagine being a Knicks fan and watching your team not use a timeout with an opportunity to win the game? One would be boiling with their teams being this complacent. That’s why Mike Brown received criticism from fans online. “So, Mike Brown is getting fried on the timeline for no reason,” a fan realised.

What’s more infuriating for fans is the recurrence of such errors across different platforms. At first, it was Amazon Prime. They also incorrectly displayed an additional timeout for the Miami Heat during their Play-In thriller against the Charlotte Hornets. “Twice in one week. At some point, you have to ask if anyone’s actually watching before it goes on screen. Playoff stakes are too high for this,” a fan wrote.

However, that wasn’t all. During overtime of that same game, Prime’s coverage was completely cut off due to a technical difficulty. Even LeBron James took to X to direct attention to the shocking error. “The graphics been wrong multiple times too. This is terrible production,” another aggrieved fan noted.

It’s reached a point where some fans are demanding that TNT join as media partners instead of NBC and Prime. Because while the new partners have made errors, ESPN remains spotless. In that regard, a fan mentioned, “I know ESPN’s like you might not like our product, but we don’t make rookie mistakes”.

To some degree, it’s understandable for Amazon Prime to make mistakes. It’s their first season of broadcasting the NBA, and can hence be forgiven. But NBC was the iconic home of the NBA since the time Michael Jordan and the Bulls were a dynasty. Such lapses aren’t expected from a broadcaster well experienced in the sport of basketball. The errors, although irrelevant to the proceedings, paint a false image for the fans at home.

It’s a minor inconvenience that has caused great discomfort to fans. Hopefully, with it being brought to attention, such errors don’t persist.