The New York Knicks continue to run into trouble with referees, and tensions boiled over early during Thursday night’s game.
The Knicks struggled early against the Chicago Bulls, and the situation was exacerbated with what Knicks players clearly saw as unfavorable officiating. Reserve center Taj Gibson was called for illegal screens on back-to-back offensive possessions, and the veteran completely lost his composure after the second one.
Gibson angrily yelled and gestured at the officials, and he was quickly ejected after picking up a pair of technical fouls.
The Knicks were already playing shorthanded with Nerlens Noel out, so Gibson’s ejection was a significant blow. He simply has to keep his composure better than that. On the other hand, the second technical was a very quick trigger, and there’s a good argument that the officials overreacted in this instance.
This comes on the heels of Knicks star Julius Randle complaining about how referees treat him during games. The team comes away preoccupied with the officials at times, and it’s probably not helping.
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