[Highlight] Mitch Johnson picks up a tech after official fails to recognize his challenge
Honestly what the flying fuck
The ref is literally making eye contact with Johnson and just ignores him.
I’ve never seen this before. Fucking insane.
Fuck this shit man
What is fucking happening right now?
Lol we all know what it is, and we all knew what it would be last game.
Imagine if they pull this shit in the Garden lol
NBA might have a real fucking problem lol
After last year, nba might have a problem.
After they played lebron and the lakers, nba might have a problem.
This series against the young phenom, nba might have a problem.
I get at MSG it might be different, but I also feel like Tobias funke saying that
I mean I’ve basically stopped watching the NBA because of shit like this and I know a lot of other people too who’ve stopped watching due to stuff like this.
I did
I switched to baseball.
I hate OKC way more than is healthy. It sucks too cuz they’re a damn good team. The heatles were so much more likable it’s absurd. And everyone hated the heatles
lmao the heatles comparison is so real. at least they had personality you could hate. OKC is just… sterile winning
Its because its rigged for OKC man you know whats up
League wants to either extend this to 7 games or wants OKC to win
If Spurs win this game, there’s a higher chance that they will win the series in 6 at home next game
If you were watching the game, you’ll see that the bizarre sequence of: potential Goal Tend from Kornet’s shot + this challenge + technical = killed the Spurs ongoing run and momentum. The Spurs were on a roll before this, going from a 20 point to a single-digit deficit.
Basketball is a game of runs / momentum. Control / stop those and you will control the game
Just like last year’s Finals.
Both, clearly.
Next game will be totally different, and we all know it.
That’s what I’ve been saying for the Lakers. It wouldn’t have been a sweep if their momentum weren’t killed by the atrocious reffing.
I won’t be surprised if the Spurs’ fate would go the same way.
This is basically hart pulling castles hair with the ref on the background looking straight at it
I think it’s the same ref, actually. No joke
James Capers, you have been named and shamed.
Did you skip last year’s Finals? Indiana got mugged and robbed all series.
This is almost within an arm’s length right in front of a referee:
https://youtube.com/shorts/yvxA3zRgWpI?si=o_hz_XsPlr7vHPHB
They don’t care how rigged it is. They did it then, and they’re doing it again this year.
The headshake after Johnson is confused as fuck says it all. They just didn’t want him to challenge it lmao
Turned the game off. Been a while since I’ve done that mid game.
Same here
And people still don’t think the league has its finger on the scale 😂😂
People don’t believe it or refuse to believe it unless it goes against their team.
That’s that OKC advantage, my dude!
If you watch closely the real issue is that he WASNT looking at Mitch until the Thunder got the ball and it was too late, which is inexcusable because I’m sure Mitch was yelling for the challenge too
Don’t worry. There’s gonna be a funny skit about it very soon.
And he’s either saying it loud enough or extremely clear enough for the TV people to know he’s saying it so there’s no chance the ref didn’t hear him.
And then SGA flops and falls to the ground on the subsequent possession and gets FTs. A joke.
This is the worst part. And then they give him a T. You mess up that bad as a ref, you shouldn’t get to issue technicals
That’s a 5 point swing right there. People say you need to toughen up and play through the bad calls, but nba basketball is the easiest sport for refs to manipulate.
It was also just after a goal tending call that was missed. Huge swing
Yeah, this completely killed the Spurs momentum. This kind of stuff has a HUGE effect on the game’s outcome.
Convenient how this all came when spurs got close to tying too lol
We Pacers fans feel for y’all. OKC’s ring is fraudulent.
These kind of techs are the worst. You are just handing out free points to the team you just advantaged with more points since you made a mistake, and because they got their ego hurt since they were wrong
Dont forget the obvious goaltend inside the rim, the trip before. A NBA fix is in masterclass.
I’ve been saying forever that refs should be fined for technicals rescinded after the game and suspended after they rack up enough. There needs to be a punishment for it. The players are punished for getting them - even if they are bullshit.
Exactly. You gotta let him yell after one like that.
2 egregiously missed calls for the Spurs leading to like 7 free throws for OKC sums up this series
Absolute clown show. I honestly don’t even get how this league has gone so far down this road.
Yeah I don’t see how you explain this one
Considering people actually wager money on this crap, there should be legal recourse against the NBA putting the games in the hands of such incompetent people. It’s like betting on the WWE. I’m not saying necessarily that it’s rigged one way or another. I am saying that this is simply unacceptable for something that pretends to be a sporting contest.
fuck gamblers too
Sports betters are a plague
Adam Silver’s league. Nothing surprising.
This is just a venue for gambling at this point there isn’t anything else going on here
brought to you by draft kings
Tony Brothers just shrugging at Mitch like iunno bro sucks to be you
And he’ll wonder why viewership is hurting but then he’ll just focus on trying to fix the All Star Game
OKC fans will type out paragraphs calling you delusional for complaining about this LOL
Nah, that was some bullshit. Just egregiously bad reffing towards the end of the quarter
Reminds me of game 4 of the finals last year. Thunder are the most coddled, pussyass team I’ve ever seen.
Tony Brothers be that bitch who loves to come in and make a mess of everything
he said he doesn’t care for basketball in an interview. it’s a front page post. absolute loser
And the questionable goaltend before it
*glaringly obvious goaltend
the ball was literally touching the rim. should’ve been a goaltend.
It was bullshit, Spurs fans should be pissed. That was ridiculous.
We are but I’m more upset with our turnovers
That’s the type of stuff that fuels conspiracy theories
Kornet shot didn’t get called for a goaltend, incorrect out of bounds call taking away the spurs possession, and refusing to accept the challenge…. Tony Brothers and his crew are a disaster every time
That goaltend was fucking insane. Dude had a smooth putback then the OKC guy basically smacks it out of the net
No replay needed either. The most obvious goaltend ever
Had me questioning if I know the rules or not
FIBA rules
I don’t remember FIBA making a rule that the refs have to be diarrhea shit ass crap
diarrhea shit ass crap
You have the soul of a poet
They must have different rules about challenges as well
They cant replay non-goaltends (absolutely stupid rule btw)
And brothers was literally right there watching
Followed up all this by the most obvious OOB on OKC and calling it a jump ball?
All right when San Antonio finally caught the momentum.
His senile ass was probably daydreaming out there
One of whom literally admitted he refs because it gives him a power trip.
Don’t forget the tech too. That sequence was a 6-8 pt swing. Absolutely outrageous.
Totally outrageous in a regular season game. Whole notha level in a late game conference final.
Literally a 5 pt swing plus an extra possession at a key moment. Impossible to beat this team when they win every 50⁄50 call and you can’t touch them.
Then a fishy flop again by fta
The fix was in. All refs are in on it.
Also the SGA flop on the next possession.
It’s fucking pathetic how we KNEW when we saw the ref assignment that OKC was going to get a ton of bullshit calls that favored them tonight.
You can set an atomic clock by the consistency of what a piece of utter shit Tony Brothers is.
Somewhere in an office in New York someone is making a call to Scott Foster to ref game 6.
The Extender
I truly, and I mean that I’d stake my life on this, believe that the NBA does everything within its abilities to a) extend series, b) create media narratives (right now the best being: OKC dynasty, NYC championship interrupting it, and finally the up-and-coming SAS threat looming). The ideal outcome is that the Knicks interrupt a juggernaut, Thunder and Spurs come back next year as teams with enmity and the best odds
Until I see the Thunder win a series against a team with similar talent with a whistle that even feels half fair, I’m not gonna be dissuaded
Weirdly the Spurs have very much benefited from this before.
It’s why Steve Nash doesn’t have a ring.
That 07 Suns Spurs series and the Cleveland 3-1 comebacks are two of my favorite extensions slash rigged-to-go-long series.
The thing I find understand is why OKC?
OKC’s brand of basketball is universally loathed. It’s a small market team.
Why are they being this long of a preferential reffing leash?
Oh I agree, the Suns Spurs series back in the day was one of my defining ‘man they call things differently for different teams’ moments
I think the league wants a bogeyman, and a dynasty is best for that. Even without a good whistle, OKC would be the favorite every year; they’re just too well built, too deep, and play well together.
But the combination of that and their disgusting playstyle is the ideal antagonist: much like how everyone hated the Patriots with Brady, there’s no doubt that having a villain is compelling for fans.
I’m a raptors fan, so I can tell you: the fact that our one championship came against the last dynasty makes it all the sweeter. Fans love having a bad guy to root against, and having their style (OKC physicality and foulbaiting, Warriors superteams and shooting) being disgusting to the average viewer makes it all the more compelling.
That’s obviously not an excuse for the absurd level of skill and franchise quality the thunder are built upon, but professional sports among the elite is really a game of marginal differences, and the thunder are the ideal team to give the slightest push to right now, at least until a real opponent appears (and the Spurs are prob that, so it’s best to let them lose this year and come back angry)
But the combination of that and their disgusting playstyle is the ideal antagonist
OKC feels like the pretty-boy heel in wrestling.
He’s good looking, talented, strong, powerful, AND he cheats to win.
OKC has the MVP, a bench better than many starting line ups, excellent coaching, a unified team playing style… AND they get a strange advantage from the refs, allowing them to play dirty to win, even though they don’t need to.
The conspiracy theorist in me leans towards this being the reason the NBA seems to be helping OKC via the officiating; they’re trying to build up some real heat against the heel, in order to make the baby face (Victor/Luka/etc) victory feel even sweeter in the end.
This is some of the worst refereeing I’ve ever seen. The missed goaltending, not letting the spurs challenge for some reason, now a tech on the spurs coach. This is atrocious
Disgusting to be honest
I’m refusing to believe this is coincidence. It’s worse than the pass interference/holding calls in the NFL
How does something like this happen in a playoff game?
Gambling
Money
Adam silver is this the basketball product you want?
Yeah he just wants fans to watch highlights
Turns out he was just trying to spare us all from this garbage
Apparently
It’s by design. The calls get more lopsided the closer the Spurs get. The league wants OKC to win this game, then they’ll swallow the whistle in game 6, the Spurs will win, and the league gets a full 7 game series.
Almost like they’re extending it or something
why would they do that? It isnt like they get more revenue that way /s
Honeslty a real possibility. League is a little crooked
I mean, a literal sitting coach got caught by a sting. But I’m sure that’s as far as it goes.
Start paying attention to patterns like this, over game stretches + within games. The refs do this over the course of single games too. Go watch back some games from earlier in the playoffs and you’ll see calls and no-calls that happen to shift momentum to the trailing team, then back the other way, and on and on. Then in the 4th if it’s still somewhat close, you’ll just see the league’s preferred winner get help by way of momentum killing calls/no calls against the other team. Cavs raps game 7 i think was a really obvious one iirc? One of the later cavs raps games. Brothers and Foster are the league’s top refs because they do exactly what is asked of them
It’s a business. It’s a product. It will never not be that
Once you get in bed with the sharks there’s no way out
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They’re not even trying to make it subtle, refs got absolutely terrified when Spurs cut it to single figures
Tony Brothers legacy game. Not sure why this failed judge is still in the league.
That was actually one of the most infuriating interviews I have ever seen.
He blatantly admitted to soooo much and it was such a nice little insight into his mind.
Just to recap he essentially said:
Maybe the most infuriating clip in my entire life I have ever witnessed as a basketball fan and mind you I once watched the WIZARDS play basketball so I know about being mad at this game
Haven’t watched nba in a while, I’m just gonna quit watching it. This is so biased against the Spurs it’s actually insane. No skin in the game but I swear this feels like match fixing. This is a joke lol
Home court advantage gets a bit of weight here. But some of these are just awful calls. The goaltend and out of bounds call aren’t really the type of plays you get via home court.
It’s worse when they compound it with the foul on Kornet when Williams is pushing him down and the failure to let Mitch challenge.
Tony Brothers crew master class
Update: people will say its rigged but we got a couple soft make up calls. These guys just aren’t that great at their jobs.
Not to mention the SGA classic fall down into FTs
THE REF IS LITERALLY LOOKING AT MITCH
If you watch close the real issue is that he WASNT looking at Mitch until the Thunder get the ball and it’s too late
The announcer CLEARLY says “they look back and say challenge” while the ball is in the refs hands and has yet to be inbounded.
If the fucking broadcaster is calmy explaining from his purview the challenge is being asked for WHILE THE BALL IS IN THE REFS HANDS I genuinely do not know how you could possibly spin this.
That was jaw dropping, truly.
Okay but Mitch was certainly screaming it lol
This and the missed goaltend right before is genuinely a 6+ point swing purely on the officials
Could have been a 6-7 point game instead it’s 13 point thunder lead lol.
And that’s ignoring the 2 free throws OKC was gifted after the goaltend that got Ball Don’t Lie’d
Haha I yelled “Ball Don’t Lie” so loud at my TV after the second missed FT that Rasheed Wallace himself would’ve been proud
I fucking hate this crew. Also ignored the world’s most obvious goaltend in history.
Tony Brothers is retiring soon thank god
Taking the money and running
This fuckery won’t go on for much longer
The NBA is not a serious league.
No goaltending given, ball out of okc players foot not given, challenge denied….in 3 straight possession
Nah it’s too blatant at this point
and tech
Literally first call of 4th qtr is a gift to OKC
The fact this is still a 10 point game is insane. Says a lot about how good the spurs actually are
Don’t forget the next possession that was out on the thunder but was a jump ball for no reason.
Spurs fighting back all game and refs just decide it’s over and OkC wins. Honestly so crazy
Very simple to see how officiating can swing games
swinging the game would be nice, they’re straight up dominating it lol
Yeah I prefer standard Home Cooking to whatever the fuck that was.
That’s why free throw arguments alone don’t catch shit. It’s the non calls that are sometimes much more telling.
The non-calls and the weirdly timed calls in general do this too.
Swing? You cannot convince me that NBA refs aren’t outright fixing games.
If someone believes that the refs are NOT fixing games they are gullible, they literally got caught fixing games and just scapegoated one of them
also betting is way bigger and easier now, I’m convinced if they investigated Tony and his brothers something would come up
As a neutral fan, I’m just turning it off at this point.
No more fighting or arguing or complaining about it. I just don’t care about this anymore. They have made this sport unwatchable.
I think this is my last season giving a shit about the nba
Dude me too. MVP should had went to Jokic or Wemby.
Not this bullshit. As of now 31 points and 16 of 17 from the line… Wow, what an MVP performance indeed. Half his points from flopping on the ground like a fish!
I turned it off too. Just not fun to watch anymore
I just did the same. And I’m a Knick fan who just moved back from San Antonio. So like this game interests me. But unwatchable.
Look, OKC fans may get mad but I’ve basically made a point to not watch any OKC game if I can help it all year. I find them almost all to be entirely unwatchable as sporting events having been a fan of the game since the 80s.
There’s been a few other teams over the years for me where this has happened, so OKC isn’t like an entire one-off situation. But this is pretty near the top of my list of the most unwatchable team I can think of in like 35 years of seriously watching basketball.
I don’t mind successful teams. I don’t even truly mind teams that beat the teams I root for. I just want good basketball games. And OKC games the last few seasons are absolutely not that.
Like this isn’t hate for fans or the franchise as a whole, I just don’t enjoy watching the games so I don’t. NBA in general is still my favorite sports league but there’s limits to what I will enjoy. SGA has maybe one of the softest whistles I’ve ever seen in the playoffs in my life. Watching him dive to the ground constantly reminds me more of why I hate watching European soccer than why I like basketball. And that’s a pretty bad vibe for the MVP of the league.
I can’t lie, that’s absolutely bullshit. Even more bullshit to pick up a tech when Mitch Johnson is unbelievably in the right
Thank you for actually recognizing this. It would have been BS no matter who it was.
I think the refs (except for that sequence) have been liberal with the whistles for both teams. I just want a good series where we can watch guys make plays.
It’s been okay up until the past few minutes. Sadly these are crucial calls at this point in the game and could seriously impact the rest of the game. It’s a shame we have to see this. Fans just want fair games, this doesn’t seem fair.
Bro this was crazy
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Yeahhhh I’m usually team “people are overreacting to the refs” but this one is bad
Goaltend, incorrect out of bounds, challenge not given, 3 free throws for shai on the other end. Generational
Out on Chet? Turns out Free throws for SGA
Challenge call? Free throws for SGA.
Justifiable blow-up? Believe it or not, free throws for SGA. Right away.
We have the best league in the world. Because of free throws for SGA
thunder flairs will not be in this thread
He’s looking right at him that’s kinda crazy I can’t lie
Honestly what is this shit???
This is pro wrestling
This is working as designed.
Tony Brothers had just one job. And he’s doing it.
Disaster class from the officials here
Somehow it always involves Tony brothers
These refs are FUCKING GARBAGE. Basically swung the entire game away from Spurs’ run.
It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.
tony brothers is a bad person and a worse ref
I don’t gamble, ever, but I would bet every dollar I have in savings that Tony Brothers is involved in gambling on games.
It’s not gambling if it’s a sure thing.
Why didn’t he call a timeout? Aren’t you supposed to do that to use a challenge? Spinning your finger around doesn’t do anything.
the only correct comment in this whole thread
Better question: Why are the top-voted comments not this?
I can’t believe I had to look up “timeout” to find this comment, and it’s legit the only one mentioning this lmao
Refs completely taking over for OKC. Miss an obvious goaltending for Kornet, give Shai multiple soft fouls obviously, and then not let the Spurs challenge this. So predictable man
These refs gotta be fined lmao, thats just horrible
Bro what the fuck is this
Legit one of the most shameful ref stretches I’ve ever seen. What in the flying fuck is this shit
Correct me if I’m wrong, but you have to call timeout to get a challenge, no?
Yes
So then why are people upset? He didn’t call a timeout, unless I just didn’t see it.
this and the goaltend right after each other was crazy
The refs are literally just doing whatever the fuck they want at this point wtf is this series dude
I’m actually in shock, it’s actually rigged like for real
MLB and NBA refs should be the only people who get their job replaced by AI.
i’m somewhat convinced that he didn’t get the challenge because he didn’t actually call timeout. he kept swirling his finger but didn’t seem like he actually called timeout. that combined with the fact that he tried to put up a fake sub despite being given a ton of time to call a normal timeout and challenge probably meant that tony brothers didn’t want to get him the benefit of the doubt with the twirling.
that’s just my 2c tho
First the goaltending now this. What the hell is this game
Insane. Incorrect call, miss the coach asking for a challenge, then tech. Tony Brothers wants OKC to win.
Can’t convince me this isn’t corruption, Tony Brothers is standing right next to an obvious goaltend, and then this? C’mon man, there needs to be a standard here.
Every right to be furious. That’s an egregious miss by the refs
They gave him 60 fucking seconds to figure out if he’s gonna challenge. Sorry you don’t get all day. You got extra time as is.
Didn’t call a timeout, refs had time to huddle hold the ball look at him multiple times and then hand it to a thunder player before he did anything
Adam Silver what the hell man
FUCKING BULLSHIT
He didn’t call a timeout to initiate the challenge.
Coach Johnson should have called timeout first then signal for the review.
This wasn’t on the refs in my opinion.
Clear goaltend into fake foul on Kornet into loss of possession into denying a challenge into SGA flop for a foul calls
LMAOOOO
worst ref crew of all time
Don’t you have to call a timeout to challenge? Mitch was just asking for a challenge, not a timeout
No goaltending, not allowing the challenge, holy shit.