The Knicks got a close win on the road against the Raptors on Tuesday, but things might not have turned out that way if the officials hadn't missed a critical late-game call.
With 22 seconds remaining, New York was clinging to a one-point lead with possession of the ball. After Carmelo Anthony received the inbound pass, three Raptors swarmed him defensively, and appeared to force Anthony to step out of bounds. This happened right in front of the Toronto bench, and head coach Dwane Casey was livid that the referees missed it.
As it turned out, this wasn't a case of a head coach arguing for a call that could have gone either way. The replay showed that Anthony clearly stepped out of bounds, and afterward, one of the referees admitted that was the call was missed.
Question 1: Did the Raptors tell you they were planning on not fouling?
There's no guarantee that the Raptors would have won the game, obviously, but at least they would have ended up with possession of the ball and a little more than 17 seconds left to try and get a good look at a game-winning shot.
As for Anthony, he had no desire to see the replay -- all he cared about was the fact that his team came away with a much-needed win.
"I don't want to see it. I'm getting out of here," he said. "Ain't no need for me to look back and watch it. It's over with. I don't even know if I did it. Probably, but we're getting out of here with the win."
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com
