Nick Nurse livid with timeout controversy as 76ers coach claims ‘referee ignored me’ in Knicks win
Nick Nurse has blasted an NBA referee’s decision to ignore his call for a timeout before the Philadelphia 76ers collapsed to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their playoff series
Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse has been left livid after a referee ignored his call for a timeout in the Round 1, Game 2 NBA playoff defeat to the New York Knicks on Monday night.
The 76ers looked on course to tie the series, leading the Knicks by five with 28 seconds left. What followed was an epic collapse, as the Knicks capitalized on a game-changing turnover by Tyrese Maxey to go on to win the second game 104-101.
However, despite Maxey’s turnover, the 76ers were left frustrated by the referee’s decision to not listen to Nurse’s calls for a timeout in the dying seconds after inbounds before the turnover. Nurse claims the referee looked at him and ignored his calls for a timeout.
“Well, the first thing is obviously we … they score, we take a look at getting it in quick. You don’t get in quick. I call timeout. The referee looked right at me, ignored me,” Nurse fumed.
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“Looking for Tyrese, I call timeout again. Then the whole melee started and yeah. I mean, I guess I’ve got to run out onto the floor or do something to make sure to get his attention. But I needed a timeout there to advance it, it would’ve been good, but couldn’t get it.”
Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who had limited his mobility against the Knicks due to an injury sustained in Game 1, backed his head coach, insisting that 76ers players on the court were calling for a timeout too, only for it to fall on deaf ears. “Everybody on the floor was trying to call a timeout, myself included, Nico [Batum], coach on the sideline; but that didn’t give it to us,” Embiid said.
Embiid hasn’t placed the blame on his teammate Maxey’s door either. The Cameroonian-born center says it’s the NBA’s fault. “He did his job. That’s on the league, that’s on the NBA, that’s on the freaking referees,” added Embiid.
“I hate to put the game on them, but I’m sure the (last) two-minute report is going to come out and we’re going to see what happened,” Embiid added. “Like I said, that’s unacceptable. That’s not on him. That’s not on any of us. We fought for 47 minutes and whatever, 20 seconds. For that to happen, up four, that’s not OK.”
The 76ers weren’t offered an explanation as to why their calls for a timeout were ignored either. Nurse says he has undisputable film proving he made the call. “Well, there wasn’t time to talk about it. You can ask him if you want to. You saw me call timeout,” Nurse said.
“I just watched the film, just to make sure. I clearly call a timeout. I didn’t see if he looked at me in the film, but I could see me clearly calling timeout twice.”
The 76ers will host Game 3 against the Knicks at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Thursday night
