Tyrese Maxey's heroics should never have happened, according to the NBA's final two-minute report from Game 5 of the instant classic first-round series between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.
That's because the league said the game's umpires missed a max drive with 25.4 seconds left on his 3-pointer, in which he was fouled by Knicks center Mitchell Robinson and made a free throw, starting Philadelphia's remarkable comeback from the 6 with 28.9 seconds left. 112-106 in overtime to keep the 76ers' season alive.
Three other calls were fouled: with 0.4 seconds left in regulation, the Knicks ball after Nicholas Badum blocked Jalen Brunson's potential game-tying shot out of bounds (the clock ran out, sending the game into overtime. ); A flagrant foul was called on Joel Embiid for headbutting Brunson. And Josh Hart didn't actually cross the line at 41.5 seconds.
Another way Philadelphia's Game 5 miracle mirrored New York's same performance for the Sixers in Game 2 was that the final two-minute report from that game featured several power errors in New York's favor as part of that comeback.
Both teams have come back from at least a five-point deficit in the final 30 seconds to win a game in this series — only three times in the last 25 years prior to these playoffs. It happened twice in the last 10 days in the same building.
Game 6 will be Thursday night in Philadelphia, and Game 7 — if Philadelphia wins — will be back in New York on Saturday night.
