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Former Knicks Guard Calls Out 76ers for No-Call
Former New York Knicks star Greg Anthony knows what it's like to be the victim of a bad no-call but urged the Philadelphia 76ers to take responsibility.
New York Knicks' Greg Anthony can sympathize with the Philadelphia 76ers' last 30 seconds but urged them to "take responsibility for the first 47-plus minutes.
If anyone knows what it's like to be on the wrong end on a euphoric NBA playoff moment that probably shouldn't have happened, it's Anthony, a former New York Knicks star who had to watch Reggie Miller put up eight points in less thank nine seconds for the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden in the opening game of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Miller's antics turned a six-point deficit in a two-point win but things came somewhat full circle on Monday when the Knicks put up a speedy eight in 20 seconds to escape from New York with a 104-101 win over the 76ers in Game 2 of the opening round against Philadelphia. But the Last Two Minute Report stemming from the game implied that the fateful possession featuring Donte DiVincenzo's go-ahead three-pointer shouldn't have happened, as officials missed two fouls drawn by Sixers star Tyrese Maxey as well as a Philadelphia timeout called by head coach Nick Nurse.
Had the concept existed in 1995, Anthony could've also drawn an incorrect no-call on an L2M report during that classic clash between the Knicks and Pacers, as Miller knocked him down during a crucial inbounds play. But, speaking with Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, Anthony chided the Sixers for relying on a perfect game from officials.
Mar 18, 1993; Richfield, OH, USA; FILE PHOTO; New York Knicks guard Greg Anthony (50) is defended by
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“Why would you expect the officials to be perfect if the players aren’t?” Anthony told Bondy. “Players miss shots. Turn the ball over. They make mistakes. Same with coaches. I don’t know why we now all assume and expect the officials to be perfect. (It) never has happened, never will happen. The reality is the Sixers have to take ownership of why they lost that game. When you lose one-possession games, you don’t necessarily lose it on the last possession.”
Philadelphia bemoaned officiating in the aftermath of each of the first two games of the ongoing best-of-seven series, which the Knicks lead 2-0. The team is planning to file a grievance with the NBA and franchise face Joel Embiid went as far as to say that Philadelphia would've had the two-game lead if not for officials.
Anthony acknowledged that officials did miss the calls on the final possession but urged Philadelphia to take responsibility for its losses. The Sixers lost double-figure leads in each of the first two games and have not taken advantage of Knicks star Jalen Brunson's struggles from the field (29 percent over the first two games).
Apr 22, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) reacts in front of
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“There’s no question that you could make the claim that there was some contact, that there could’ve been a foul called. But the reality is you could make that claim on every possession,” Anthony said. “I can appreciate the frustration from Philly’s perspective as well. I get it. There clearly was a foul. Brunson clearly grabbed Maxey’s jersey."
"All that stuff can be true. It also wouldn’t be the first time when a coach is trying to call a timeout and didn’t get the call. Those things are all a part of the game. You can talk about it until you’re blue in the face, but it’s not going to change the outcome.”
Miller's clutch antics wound up being not only a swan song for the Knicks' conference title defense (Indiana would win the series in seven games) but Anthony's metropolitan career as well: the 12th pick of the 1991 draft spent his first four seasons in New York before he was the Vancouver Grizzlies' first pick in the 1995 expansion draft. He parlayed an 11-year NBA career (which also featured stops in Seattle, Portland, Chicago, and Milwaukee) into a broadcasting gig with Turner Sports (now TNT Sports) and will have national duties for the Knicks' Game 3 tilt with the Sixers on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
