“They want a game 7 for you guys.”. Late in the first half, as he was already getting frustrated with the calls, Luka Doncic told Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault that the officials were trying to extend the series to 7 games. The clip has gone viral, and more incidents during game 6 of the OKC Thunder versus Dallas Mavericks semifinals matchup have sparked some controversy even after the Mavs won the series (4-2).
PUSH GAME 7: “The NBA is rigged, and the officials are trying hard to make it to game 7”
This is a very bold statement, but this is what many NBA fans think. The referees made many missed calls and misjudgments in game 6. It was a nail-biting game, but it would have ended differently; at least, that’s what some fans think.
The infamous Tony Brothers was one of the officials during this game, and a lot of people think he tried to rig Game 6 to extend the series. But what caused all of these?
Tony Brothers and his history of officiating
Tony Brothers has been officiating NBA games for 29 seasons now, and he’s one of the most respected people in the business. Unfortunately, he’s also one of the most hated referees. He’s had run-ins with a lot of teams, especially the Boston Celtics. In almost three decades, we cannot count how many times fans accused Brothers of rigging and fixing games.
According to basketball-reference, in this season alone, OKC had a record of 4-1 when Tony Brothers was officiating. The Thunder also had a wonderful record with Josh Tiven (3-1) and Mitchell Ervin (4-2), both referees who were also present in game 6. Surprisingly, the Mavericks had losing records with all three referees. They are 3-3 when Tony Brothers is on the floor. They’re also 1-5 and 3-2 with Tiven and Ervin, respectively.
But what infuriated fans was that Tony Brothers missed a lot of calls, even though he was right in front of the play. If OKC had won, Brothers’ head would be on a spike.
OKC kept getting away with calls
The Thunder kept fouling Luka Doncic on several plays, but the referees did not seem to see the contact. It’s no wonder why Doncic also kept complaining, leading to a technical foul.
One example is when Cason Wallace pushed Luka to the sidelines. Although Tony Brothers was near the spot, there was no whistle. These are minor errors that could affect the result of the game. Thankfully, Dallas was able to come back from a 17-point deficit.
The controversial foul on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
The Mavericks’ 117-116 win over OKC also came with controversy. It ended with a nail-biting play in which Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tried to block P.J. Washington’s three-point shot. However, the refs called for a foul. Mark Daigneault immediately challenged the call. Unfortunately, after careful review, Tony Brothers still claims it was a foul, resulting in OKC losing a challenge and, hence, losing their last timeout.
If you watched the game, it was evident that the call on the foul was a bit late. If you also look closely, Kyrie Irving had possession of the loose ball and could have scored a quick two points for a putback. But then, we all knew what happened. P.J. Washington was on the line for three free throws.
Many fans suggest that the foul was called because officials tried to stop Kyrie from scoring that basket. Washington attempting free throws was a better way to ice the game because the 25-year-old power forward was a terrible free-throw shooter (shot only 54% in the playoffs). Thankfully, he made 2 out of 3 to put the Mavericks up by 1.
Anyway, all of these are just theories and speculations from fans of both teams. Regardless of what people think, the Dallas Mavericks still won the series and are now going to face the hot Minnesota Timberwolves.
