NBA world blasts refereeing from Knicks-Pacers Game 1

The New York Knicks took a 1-0 second-round series lead over the Indiana Pacers on Monday, but not without some controversy.

New York, the No. 2 seed, had been trailing at home for most of the game with No. 7 Indiana playing composed.

Free 24/7 Connecticut news stream: Watch NBC CT wherever you are

However, the fourth quarter involved some questionable calls against Indiana, ranging from moving screens to kick balls.

The Knicks ended up snatching a vital home 121-117 home win to avoid trailing the series early, with Jalen Brunson once again starring with 43 points to lead all scorers.

Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.

But the primary discourse resulting from what otherwise was a thrilling series opener centers around the officiating. Here are some of the top reactions, from Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid to NFL players and more:

NBA May 6

LeBron James headlines the top potential NBA free agents in 2024

NBA May 5

Ranking the 4 second-round matchups in the 2024 NBA playoffs

LOL
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) May 7, 2024

Naaaaa Refs effecting games smh that's nasty work
— Zaire Franklin (@ZiggySmalls_) May 7, 2024

Nembhard is rightfully upset. What an abysmal ending dictated by the refs.
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) May 7, 2024

Pacers got robbed of a transition opportunity on the Haliburton steal, robbed of another steal because of the kicked ball call, and then the incredibly soft moving screen. I’m really really not a blame the refs guy, but that was brutal.
— Rohan Nadkarni (@RohanNadkarni) May 7, 2024

Pacers fans looking at the offensive foul call pic.twitter.com/WkP2t3bckz
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 7, 2024

Rick Carlisle: “I don’t want to talk about the officiating. We’re not expecting to get calls in here.”
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 7, 2024

The amount of Knicks fans even being like, “That officiating was bad and gross,” is telling. League did not come out looking pretty tonight.
— Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) May 7, 2024

"In my experience in this league, I think it's best when players decide the outcome of the game," Myles Turner says. He added that the Pacers can't leave the game to be decided by the refs, though he added he's looking forwad to the Last 2 Minutes report coming out.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) May 7, 2024

The contrast in reffing between Pacers-Knicks and Wolves-Nuggets is wild, it’s like watching two different leagues
— Cameron Tabatabaie (@CTabatabaie) May 7, 2024

Game 2 in New York is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET.