Sixers Have ‘Laundry List’ of Concerns for NBA After Loss vs. Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers have some complaining to do.

The Philadelphia 76ers head back home winless after a two-game road stint against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

While the Sixers were in a position to split the series, holding a five-point lead over the Knicks with under one minute of play left in Monday’s Game 2 matchup, a wild sequence in the final 40 seconds led the Knicks to firing off six quick points, putting the Sixers down by one.

After an unsuccessful shot attempt by Tyrese Maxey on the following offensive possession, the Sixers were led to start intentionally fouling. Two successful free throws put the Knicks up by three. Although the Sixers were able to toss up a prayer three-pointer, it did not fall, resulting in a 104-101 loss for Philadelphia.

Following the loss, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse sounded off on the critical sequence, which led Philadelphia to lose its lead. Before chaos ensued, Nurse attempted to call a timeout, which was not honored. As expected, the Sixers are frustrated and plan to take action.

But it’s not just the no-call for a timeout in Game 2 that has the Sixers frustrated. According to PHLY’s Kyle Neubeck, the Sixers have a “laundry list” of concerns that will be presented to the NBA this week as they head back home 0-2.

Sixers’ List of Complaints

• The Sixers were disadvantaged by two calls in the last two-minute report from Game 1.

• The Sixers claim Nick Nurse called for a timeout twice on the inbounds pass that swung the game in the final minute.

• The Knicks have included private information about the referees in their game notes.

• The Sixers have been the most disadvantaged team in the last two-minute report this season, according to a report earlier this month.

Filing a list of complaints won’t change the Sixers’ Game 2 results against the Knicks, but it seems the team hopes to see a difference moving forward.

The Sixers aren’t the only team in the postseason frustrated with their whistle. Out West, the Los Angeles Lakers found themselves on the wrong end of a bad whistle, which led the NBA’s most prominent star, LeBron James, calling out the league’s replay center while mentioning the Sixers and the Knicks’ series as an example.

Will the Sixers’ list of complaints help them out? Only time will tell. They’ll get the next two days off before they return to the court on Thursday to battle it out with the Knicks for Game 3 of the series. Considering the history of teams that fall to 0-3 in a seven-game series, Thursday’s outing in South Philly is certainly a must-win matchup for Philadelphia.