Refs Are Now Knicks' Biggest Worry for Rest of Finals After Game 1

Game 1 of the NBA Finals wasn't perfect for the Knicks, but that made their win even more impressive. They overcame struggles from most of the starters, a huge night from Victor Wembanyama, and a very Spurs-friendly whistle from the officials to still secure a 105-95 victory in the fourth quarter.

The fact New York won without most things going right, while San Antonio had a ton going in its favor throughout this meeting, shows why the Knicks should've been favorites to the win the title. However, if the refs continue to officiate like they did in Game 1, that's going to make this series closer than

Refs presenting a huge obstacle in Knicks' way of winning Finals

There's no other way to slice it: the Spurs were the biggest beneficiaries of this ref crew in Game 1. This showed up in the fine details, like Josh Hart drawing three early fouls that sent him to the bench early, or the fact San Antonio was already in the bonus with just under eight minutes in the second quarter.

Even looking at the general box score, the Spurs earned 25 free throw attempts to just 18 for the Knicks. It's also worth noting four of those 18 for New York came in the final 30 seconds as intentional fouls by San Antonio. The fact Wemby and co. had that many more FTs despite the amount of personal fouls by each team being equal (23) makes it clear they got more calls in advantageous situations than the Knicks.

Then there's the number of specific plays on the court that raise major questions. It's not like the Spurs were guiltless in Game 1. One of the most egregious misses happened on Brunson, who had both his jersey pulled in clear view and plenty of contact while attempting a layup in the first quarter.

Jalen Brunson got hacked then his jersey pulled then body slammed and no foul called

Unbelievable pic.twitter.com/NhHtZavFpC
— Alex B. (@KnicksCentral) June 4, 2026

In the fourth, there was Miles McBride being forced to deal with contact on his drive to the rim, and then Wembanyama bulldozing Landry Shamet on the other end. This sequence ended in two points for San Antonio as Devin Vassell tipped in the miss while Shamet was still sliding on the floor.

2 obvious fouls in the span of 5 seconds. Refs really are swallowing the whistle for the Spurs pic.twitter.com/iCumrVy8MO
— J Milli (@HEBenjoyer) June 4, 2026

Even though Game 1 only further reinforced why New York has the makings of the next NBA champions, this series could be quite close, as Game 1 showed. That makes the officiating a particularly big problem, as it leaves less margin for error and helps swings things in the Spurs' favor at times.

It's one thing to win a specific game that feels like it's 6-on-5, but doing that every single night isn't realistic. There will be some clashes this series where New York could use a lucky break, or doesn't have any fourth-quarter heroics, and that's where a possible free throw disparity is going to sting the most.

Unfortunately, Game 1 sets the tone for this series now. It seems the refs are going to reward Wembanayma, as evidenced by his 13 free throw attempts (only five shy of the Knicks' total) on Wednesday. If that remains the status quo, he's going to be able to keep the Spurs in any contest with easy points at the line, and it'll create foul trouble for New York's key players who are tasked with guarding him.

This opening to the Finals, even if it wasn't picturesque, put the Knicks' strengths on display. It's clear their collection of talent could again prove simply too much for the opposition to handle. But, the team moving just three wins away from the title also makes any potential threats feel even greater than normal--that's why Game 1's reffing is a red flag for a team that now has the upper hand to take home the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

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