NBA referees announce crucial missed call in Celtics-Knicks game
The NBA finally decided to crack down on flopping, but it looks like the referees may have already gotten a call wrong.
In a tense game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, with New York leading 88-86, Jalen Brunson elevated for a three-point shot with Celtics forward Jayson Tatum defending. Tatum's foot appeared to be in Brunson's landing area, causing him to fall to the ground.
This play usually results in a flagrant foul being called on the defender, but the referees appeared to miss that contact and instead penalized Brunson for what they deemed to be flopping. Boston was awarded a free throw and went on to win the game 108-104.
Following the game, the official NBA referees' X, formerly known as Twitter, page acknowledged they missed the foot-to-foot contact and that Tatum should have been assessed a flagrant foul. They also communicated that it was this contact that caused Brunson's movement and it should not have resulted in a flop call.
It should be noted that there were other correctly called flopping violations from Wednesday night's action. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort oversold contact from Chicago Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan, and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland flailed to the ground on a screen from Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons.
Given that this is the first season of the in-game flopping penalty, some growing pains were to be expected. However, it's unacceptable that this call had a huge impact on what resulted in a loss for the Knicks. It's admirable that the referees acknowledged their error after the fact, but that does nothing to change the outcome.
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