Mike Breen is okay with NBA referees allowing teams to play more physical during the playoffs, as long as they’re consistent with it.
Breen called Game 2 of the first-round NBA playoffs series between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons Monday night for MSG alongside Walt Frazier. And usually, Breen leaves the officials alone while calling a game. But he did take note of their lack of consistency Monday night.
Late in the second quarter, Breen noted Pistons forward Tobias Harris was jawing with an official on his way up the court, prompting the iconic play-by-play voice to comment on the physical play being allowed by both teams.
“This is on both ends of the floor, they’re letting both defenses be extremely aggressive,” Breen said. “Especially on the dribbler.”
And just as Breen made that observation, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson was called for a ticky-tack foul as he attempted to poke the ball away from Detroit’s Jalen Duren.
“They call a foul on Robinson. Now all this stuff going on and they call that. It’s got to be more consistent so the players know how much they can do and how much they can’t,” Breen mildly ranted.
After the game, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau called out the officiating in their 100-94 loss to Detroit, questioning the discrepancy in free throw attempts. The Knicks took 19 free throw attempts compared to Detroit’s 34.
However, it has almost become expected to hear a head coach complain about the officiating after being on the losing end of a playoff game. Breen noting a lack of consistency from the officials, however, is rare. And it’s fair to wonder whether Mike Breen would have made the same observation if he was calling the game on ESPN. Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson used to do it all the time, but it’s undoubtedly harder to call out the officials on ESPN considering their multibillion-dollar partnership.
While the Robinson call may have seemed more like a regular-season foul, the referees allowed a fairly physical game to be played throughout the full four quarters. Despite the free throw disparity, the Knicks had 22 fouls called against them compared to 24 on Detroit, which implies the game was officiated evenly.