What’s the one theme that’s echoed across this NBA postseason—among players, coaches, and analysts alike? If your guess is frustration with the officiating, you’re right on the money. From former Phoenix Suns HC Monty Williams getting hit with a $20,000 fine for publicly calling out the refs, to Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards being docked a hefty $75,000 after bluntly declaring, “They’re f—— terrible,” criticism of NBA officiating has become a constant refrain. Voices across the league—no matter the consequences—aren’t shying away from speaking up when they believe the whistle isn’t fair.

And it’s not just those on the court. ESPN’s Pat McAfee has joined the chorus of critics, making it clear that this issue extends beyond the hardwood. In a postseason full of passion and high stakes, one thing is certain: the debate around NBA officiating is louder than ever.

The 38-year-old sports analyst took to his official X account to comment on the electric Game 6 between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks. The game is a must-win for both teams, with Tyrese Haliburton and co just 1 win away from making it to the Finals, while the Knicks need the win to take the Conference Finals series to Game 7. The race has remained close, with the Pacers leading only 58-54 by halftime. Within these 24 minutes, however, the complaint about the referees’ officiating has come up a lot. McAfee himself highlighted this by writing on X “Hey @NBA … these refs”. Was anything more needed to be said?

Pat McAfee’s frustration stemmed from a controversial call involving Pascal Siakam. As OG Anunoby drove to the rim, Siakam met him with a clean block, and both players hit the floor. Behind them, Karl-Anthony Towns tripped over Anunoby—despite moving slowly enough that the fall could’ve easily been avoided, as shown in the replay. Still, after review, the officials pinned the foul on Siakam, sparking outrage.

This was just one of the few other incidents called out by the NBA fandom. Fans also weren’t pleased when Jalen Brunson reportedly ran into Andrew Nembhard and hit him with a forearm. The refs called nothing back then. However, the referees later called a foul on Nembhard after the duo almost clashed when the Pacers star was defending his rival. Almost the same thing happened with Tyrese Haliburton, too, who was reportedly hit in the face, but no foul calls were called on that action either.

Later, BricksCenter reported how Karl-Anthony Towns kicked Myles Turner in the nuts area, but the foul was called on Turner. An official was later captured explaining to Rick Carlisle that kicking someone in that area cannot be deemed a foul. It is essential to recall that Draymond Green was suspended from a Finals game for this action. Furthermore, back in January of this year, Lu Dort got ejected for reportedly hitting Daniel Gafford in the groin area.

All of this would have certainly left the Pacers fan base less than pleased. Especially Pat McAfee, who was described as a ‘Pacers fan’ in a late May report by Cinemablend. The Pacers went on to secure a 90-75, aka a 15-point lead, as 30 seconds remained in the 3rd quarter. Despite this, the ESPN analyst would still stay true to his criticism. After all, he has had experience in making accusations against referees, even if they do not belong to the NBA.

Pat McAfee continued his trend of criticizing referees for allegedly favoring the Kansas City Chiefs: “What’s going on?”

If there was one team in the NFL that just couldn’t resist the tag of being ‘favored’ by the refs, it was the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes’ popularity, combined with the attention that the relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift was bringing to the team, led many to believe the refs were keeping the team popular by siding with them on some crucial calls. Pat McAfee was certainly amongst them.

Back in February 2025, the analyst was commentating during WWE’s Royal Rumble event. As the Motor City Machine Guns faced #DIY for the WWE Tag Team Championship, McAfee complained about that event’s officiating too, by stating, “Stuff like that can’t happen with the official”. McAfee’s co-announcer, Wade Barrett, used that remark to criticize NFL referees. He said, “Well I’ve not seen officiating this bad since the last Kansas City Chiefs game.” McAfee ended up agreeing.

“I love the greatness of the Chiefs. But even some of those calls, I go, ‘What’s going on?’” said the then 37-year-old.

The remark came only days after he took to social media to comment on Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver hip-drop tackling Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson while he was out of bounds. As Athlon Sports reporter Matt De Lima reported, several calls seemed to go in the Chiefs’ favor. This led to the analyst saying, “(Fans) are calling (the refs) cheaters. They’re saying the refs are working in Patrick Mahomes’ favor. They’re saying all the bullcrap calls that we hate about football seemingly always go in the champions’ favor. How come Patrick Mahomes is getting these calls everybody isn’t getting?”

All of this goes on to show that, whatever sport it is, Pat McAfee is not afraid to call out things as he sees them. With the Pacers on track to head to the NBA Finals now, it remains to be seen whether he will also choose to comment on any alleged biased calls that might turn up in the potential Pacers-OKC series.