The Knicks escaped with a four-point win in the battle of New York. Jalen Brunson missed 10 of his first 14 shots but clicked into gear, as he often does, down the stretch of the tight contest. However, despite his heroics, head coach Tom Thibodeau was frustrated with the game and the officiating Brunson faced.
Advertisement
When he was asked about his point guard’s late-game turnaround, Thibs instead turned the spotlight on the referees. “I just want to take a look at, like, that last play on the drive. I send clips in, I do it all and you know, what goes on with him [Brunson] is ridiculous. It really is. I’ll leave it at that,” the veteran coach said.
Tom Thibodeau on how Jalen Brunson is officiated:
"I send clips in, I do it all. What goes on with him is ridiculous. It really is. I'll leave it at that." pic.twitter.com/6BKfxPKwbP
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2025
This has been a longstanding complaint from the Knicks front office. Since the 2024 postseason, Thibodeau & Co. have claimed that Brunson is not receiving fair calls, arguing that referees are letting opponents get away with excessive contact against their franchise superstar.
Given how much of Brunson’s offense is generated through drives, it’s understandable why Thibodeau believes he wasn’t getting the right calls in Brooklyn.
Despite playing 39 minutes against the Nets last night, JB received just two whistles. In fact, no Knicks were awarded more than four free throws. Conversely, Brooklyn’s leading scorer D’Angelo Russell earned 7 easy points at the charity stripe.
The Nets as a whole shot 19 of 25 from the free-throw line while the Knicks converted 11 of their 14 attempts. Thibodeau didn’t hold back during his post-game press conference as he went off on the officiating as a whole.
“My thing is like, I just want consistency… I don’t know what the discrepancy in the free-throws was but it was big. It was big. And we’re attacking the basket. I’m watching KAT go, I’m watching Jalen go and there’s contact. A foul is a foul. A guy gets fouled, you’ve got to call it. It’s your job,” the 67-year-old added.
Tom Thibodeau talks about how the Knicks are officiated:
"I want consistency…a foul is a foul. A guy gets fouled, you've got to call it. It's your job." pic.twitter.com/zsbpRWx5bh
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) January 22, 2025
On nights like these where his Knicks are fighting tooth and nail to beat a lottery team, Thibodeau’s frustration feels understandable. However, there isn’t much evidence to suggest that the whistle isn’t blowing fairly in their favor.
To put things in perspective, the Knicks are receiving 21.1 free-throw attempts per game which is 21st in the standings in the league.
Nonetheless, Thibodeau’s issues with the refereeing predates this season. The Knicks’ Playoff series against the 76ers and the Pacers last year resulted in 100s of calls being submitted for review, casting further doubt on the state of officiating in the NBA.
