Game 2 between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks was an instant NBA Playoff classic. It is a game that highlights will be replayed forever, as New York finally got some retribution from the eight points in nine seconds of Reggie Miller nightmare.
With 47.3 seconds remaining in the game, New York was down by five points with Kyle Lowry set to shoot a second free throw. Lowry missed, which left the door ajar for the Knicks and they took full advantage.
A scramble after Lowry knocked the ball away from Jalen Brunson led to Donte DiVincenzo scooping up the ball and finding Brunson open in the corner. He knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night with a friendly bounce.
On the ensuing inbound, the Knicks got physical with Tyrese Maxey, who ended up turning the ball over. Josh Hart picked it up and found DiVincenzo spotting up wide open behind the 3-point line. He missed, but Isaiah Hartenstein grabbed the offensive rebound to keep the possession alive.
As he was falling to the ground, Hartenstein made a pass to OG Anunoby. Anuoby swung the ball to DiVincenzo, who was wide open at the top of the key. This time, he made it count, sinking the 3-pointer and giving the Knicks a one-point lead.
How the last 47.3 seconds of the game unfolded has left the 76ers in shambles. Head coach Nick Nurse and Joel Embiid have not been shy about sharing their opinion on how things went at the end of the game. The team also filed a grievance with the NBA for how Game 2 was officiated.
The NBA’s 2-minute report to end the game has justified some of the complaints the 76ers have had. The report revealed that Maxey was fouled by Hart and Brunson on the inbound and Nurse should have been granted a timeout on the play.
Had any of those things been officiated correctly, the 76ers very likely be tied 1-1 heading into Game 3. Instead, it is 2-0. But, in the opinion of one NBA analyst, Philadelphia has no one to blame but themselves.
“The Sixers had multiple other opportunities to secure this win. The Knicks took advantage of every single one of those cracks,” former NBA sharpshooter Tim Legler said on ESPN’s First Take this week.
While the 76ers do have a legitimate gripe about how Game 2 ended, Legler also makes a point; both things can be right. Maxey had the same line of thinking as Legler, as he took accountability for how the game ended because of his turnover and shot getting blocked on the final offensive possession.
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