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NBA’s poor officiating sheds dark cloud on 2026 Finals

Game 3 of the NBA Finals took place Monday night as the Knicks hosted their first home game of the series. The Spurs defeated New York 115-111, and you’d think the conversation would be centered around the play of their young star, Victor Wembanyama. Instead, much of the discussion across the internet and social media has been about the “lopsided” officiating. Why is that the case? Let’s take a deeper look.

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Officiating on Jalen Brunson

Brunson has developed a reputation as one of the league’s biggest “foul-baiters”. That reputation has followed him into the playoffs, and it hasn’t done him or the Knicks any favors. The Spurs are arguably the best defensive team in the league, and they’ve been extremely physical when guarding Brunson. Many possessions consist of Brunson being bumped, grabbed, or knocked off his spots, yet the whistle often stays silent.

Through three games, Brunson has attempted 32 shots within 10 feet of the basket. It’s hard to believe an already undersized guard has generated only 17 free-throw attempts outside of those drives.

In Game 3, Brunson was actually the player who found himself in foul trouble despite San Antonio’s physical defense. He was assessed a controversial flagrant foul that was probably the correct call, but there was still debate over whether he gave enough landing space to Julian Champagnie.

The Flagrant Foul Controversies

Brunson was thrown to the floor once by Stephon Castle and once by Wembanyama. In both instances, the broadcast team called for a flagrant foul, yet officials didn’t even assess a common foul. Those no-calls left fans, and commentators stunned. So when Brunson was later assessed a flagrant foul, the Madison Square Garden crowd was understandably frustrated.

Some fans have speculated that Wembanyama avoided a flagrant because another Flagrant 2 could have put him at risk of suspension. Whether that’s true or not, it has only added fuel to the controversy.

There was also a sequence where Josh Hart scored a layup and, while retrieving the ball from the net, was run over by Spurs center Luke Kornet. Hart got up and shoved Kornet, but instead of offsetting penalties, San Antonio was awarded free throws.

The Whistle’s the bigger story

Game 3 wasn’t the only game with questionable officiating. Similar moments occurred in Games 1 and 2, but they received less attention because the Knicks won. Right now, it feels like the officiating is becoming the main storyline of this Finals matchup. The focus should be on the Knicks and Spurs, yet too often the conversation keeps returning to the officials.

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