SUMMARY
- The New York Knicks just snatched Game 2 from the Philadelphia 76ers after a wild series of events in the dying seconds.
- Josh Hart spoke about the Knicks' hard defense as some fans have pointed out Tyrese Maxey was fouled.
The New York Knicks just beat the Philadelphia 76ers in round one of the NBA playoffs. They currently hold a 2-0 lead in the series, but it was almost 1-1. The Sixers had the game in the bag, until the last few minutes when they turned the ball over and lost to a three-pointer. Even after that, the Sixers failed to make shots and weren’t able to call a timeout as well. Toward the end of the game, with less than 25 seconds on the clock, Tyrese Maxey turned it over and Josh Hart picked it up.
The Knicks star passed it to Donte DiVincenzo, who missed it from the three-point line. In a wild series of events, Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the rebound, passing it to OG Anunoby. The Knicks then finally got the ball to Donte again, who didn’t miss this time. Madison Square Garden erupted as the Knicks finally led 102-101.
Clear shot of Nurse actually calling timeout and Maxey getting fouled: pic.twitter.com/cE0NyWsYKO
— | myke | 🦅 (@PhillyTruthr) April 23, 2024
Tyrese Maxey gets fucking mauled and the refs do jack shit because they have Knick ML
YOU CANNOT MAKE THIS SHIT UP
WE GOT ABSOLUTELY FUCKING JOBBED pic.twitter.com/TfhDWHe4HT
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) April 23, 2024
But some fans raised questions about the Knicks’ fair play. As per some recently emerged photos, it can be seen that Maxey’s shirt was pulled by Jalen Brunson before the Sixers player turned the ball over. This was not called as a foul in the Sixers’ favor.
Josh Hart justifies Knicks’ intense defense vs Tyrese Maxey
During the postgame interview, Josh Hart, the player who was vital for the Knicks’ comeback, spoke about the alleged foul on Maxey. He said, “15 seconds left, we’re down two, we gotta be as physical as we can be, to try to get a steal. That’s what we did, JB did a great job denying, and we were able to get that steal, kick it out, and [Donte] was able to hit that shot, so it was crazy, it was hectic, but at that point, we have nothing to lose.”
The NBA is one of the most intense sports leagues in the world. Every player on the floor would be trying to get the win for their respective teams and they wouldn’t mind being extra physical to get their team past the finish line. That could be said for the Knicks, who fought a hard battle against a strong Sixers team but are unfortunately in the headlines because of a controversial move during the dying seconds.
Shaquille O’Neal believes Tyrese Maxey was fouled by Jalen Brunson
During the latest ‘NBA on TNT’ episode, ‘The Fellas’ mentioned that Joel Embiid shouldn’t be having his head down as the leader of the team. But Shaquille O’Neal had a different take from the others when he mentioned that Maxey was fouled. However, he claims the player shouldn’t be going to the ground with the expectation of winning a foul. Shaq strongly believes that Maxey should’ve held on to the ball until the Knicks players were forced to foul him.
“He’s the leader of the team… one of the best players in the world… As a leader of the team, he cannot have his head down.”
The Fellas react to Joel Embiid’s comments following the 76ers tough G2 loss pic.twitter.com/38TqvfqLb4
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 23, 2024
Apart from that, Charles Barkley also applauded Donte, who went for a second three-pointer right after missing one just a few seconds before. The Phoenix Suns legend admitted that many players would have hesitated when Donte effortlessly sunk a last-minute three.
The Knicks vs Sixers game is slowly becoming a series to watch out for if it wasn’t already. The last few seconds of the game are just pure playoff basketball where both teams are giving their all. It would be facilitating to see how the NBA responds to the rant by Embiid, and what the two-minute report says.