PHILADELPHIA — The Sixers fell to the New York Knicks 112-109 Saturday afternoon, in a match-up that, for a multitude of reasons, was frustrating for a Philadelphia team preparing to return to the road.
The Sixers were supposedly hosting the Knicks, or at least that's what the schedule said, but to those sitting in the bowl of the Xfinity Mobile Arena, it was not so clear, as there were waves of oranges and shouts of Knicks fans from the stands throughout the night.
The game was hard-fought, but the Sixers would eventually fall short due to some of the standard excuses, from a lack of third-quarter performance to late-game execution. The reasons Philadelphia lost are numerous, but a perceived failure by the officials was particularly frustrating for the team.
This was true throughout the game, but particularly closing out the third.
On the Sixers' final shot of the game, Tyrese Maxey pulled up from unusually far, missing, well, everything. With plenty of time remaining on the clock, there was a range of emotions from the fans.
Some were simply shocked. Others booed. A rather large portion of those in attendance were rooting for the Knicks and cheered as their team was one step closer to leaving Philly with a win.
Why did Maxey take that shot?
Did he expect it to be his best chance? Or did he have some other method to his madness?
The answer is clear, as Maxey was clearly—intentionally as well, mind you— fouled by Knicks guard Landry Shammet, who was attempting to force the Sixers to drain time off the clock in the game's final moments.
A poor shot? Absolutely, though simultaneously it was also an egregiously missed call by the crew.
The game's head official, Tony Brothers, was asked about that specific play in the Pool Report, given the obviousness of what had occurred, and replied, "During the game, we did not observe any illegal contact on the play."
After the game, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse addressed the media, discussing what went right and what went wrong, while also addressing, when directly asked, about Maxey's final shot.
"You guys can ask [Tyrese Maxey]," Nurse began, "But I would imagine he knew he was getting fouled and that they were trying to foul and he was trying to get the call in the shooting motion. You can ask him, but I'm sure that's what he was thinking."
Shortly after Nurse finished addressing the media, Maxey came to the stage far faster than average and was joined by VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers were rushing to fly down to Charlotte ahead of the storm, but there was some clear dissatisfaction after the loss, as should be expected.
Maxey was asked if he felt he was fouled prior to the shot. Without skipping a beat, Maxey responded, "Nope."
Head down, eyes on the box score placed in front of him, clearly avoiding any potential fine that could come his way.
Tyrese later explained that he should have taken another dribble and shot a direct shot, which is correct, but does not remove the frustration of the no-call in the crucial moment.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe was also asked about a call coming with just over 30 seconds left that was initially in his favor, later to be overturned after a coach's challenge, giving the Knicks the ball and a strong advantage in the closing seconds.
"They say you can't play defense with your hands on nobody. So, I guess I got to play defense with my 'eagles' out," Edgecombe said, gesturing his arms straight out at either side like eagles' wings. "I got to stay like this the whole time. So that's all I got. I can't touch anybody."
The Sixers' loss ultimately came down to a lack of execution, particularly in the third quarter, among other moments of the game.
Was the poor officiating less than ideal? Absolutely.
Did it directly impact the game? Yes, though it may not have changed the eventual result.
Still, what tonight's loss shows, and is especially seen in Tyrese Maxey's final shot attempt, is that the Sixers have no one to rely on in crucial moments but themselves.
They cannot control when the officials will make or miss a call. They can, however, control their own performance, especially amid the struggles they faced in the third quarter. The Sixers can also control their own ability to execute in crucial moments of the game.
Playing for contact may be a useful style during the meat and potatoes of an NBA game, but in the most crucial of moments, you historically cannot realistically expect the bail-out on the foul call, especially Tyrese Maxey,y who appears frustrated with an apparent lack of general calls.
If the Sixers hope to come out of similar games on top in the future, they have to be willing to go down fighting, not grifting.
