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Reggie Miller Drops Massive Accusation On Knicks & NBA Refs Ahead of Pacers Game 2: “You’re Playing 5 vs 8”

Published 05/08/2024, 8:51 PM EDT

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After a controversial finish to Monday’s Game 1 at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks are ready to protect their home court once again tonight. However, the Knicks fans will be greeted by a familiar face in Game 2, one whose memories still haunt them to this day, Reggie Miller. Now in a broadcasting role with TNT, the Pacers legend is suited up for the Garden and has already stirred the pot by accusing NBA officials and his arch-rivals, the Knicks, following their actions on Monday.

During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Miller claimed that there won’t be any favoritism toward the Pacers in Game 2 from his end and he will say it how he sees it on the court. However, once Miller entered MSG tonight, his competitive spirit came rushing back and he claimed, “You’re playing 5 vs 8… you’re playing the officials as well,” speaking about visiting teams in New York.

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Having gone through countless battles against the Knicks himself during his playing days, Miller knows what it’s like to suit up at MSG in front of thousands of fans chanting, “You Suck!” Moreover, the pressure from fans might also create a bias in favor of the home team in the officials’ heads. Maybe that is what happened in Game 1, where the Pacers fell victim to several missed calls from the officials.

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Although the illegal screen foul on Myles Turner in the final seconds was the most controversial call of the night, the NBA’s L2M report after the game told a different story. Surprisingly, the foul on Turner was deemed the correct call, but there were several other calls in the last two minutes that the officials either missed or got wrong.

Bias or Not: Did the officials get it wrong in Game 1?

Losing by just four points on Monday, every decision by the official was crucial for the Pacers. According to the L2M report, another controversial decision where Aaron Nesmith was called for a kicked ball violation with less than one minute remaining in the game was deemed the wrong call by the league. However, it was evident that the officials got the call wrong because the ball clearly hit Nesmith’s hand and not his leg, which is completely legal.

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Just two seconds before that incident, the L2M report revealed that an offensive foul should have been called on Donte DiVincenzo for clamping Nesmith’s arm and preventing him from disengaging. So, those are two crucial missed calls that could have turned the game in Indiana’s favor. However, the officials got it wrong on the other end as well.

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Surprisingly, apart from the illegal screen foul on Turner, the Pacers Center should have been called for a three-second violation and another offensive foul in the final two minutes, which the officials completely missed. So, the Pacers are not the only side that suffered from the officials’ mistakes. But tonight, with Reggie Miller on the mic, he will not hesitate to call out the officials if he sees any funny business on the floor. As his message said on The Dan Patrick Show, “Just know, the Boogeyman is coming back to town to call the game.” Miller will be fired up to be back in enemy territory for Game 2.

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Written by:

Rohan Bhaunt

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Rohan Singh Bhaunt, an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports, boasts a background as a divisional basketball player and an NBA enthusiast spanning over a decade. His extensive knowledge of the sport enables him to intricately explore its nuances, presenting a fresh outlook. Rohan's dive into the NBA NewsDesk at ES commenced with witnessing LeBron James secure his inaugural championship in Miami.
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Edited by:

Tushhita Barua