NBA Rumors: 76ers Didn't File Formal Protest over Officiating After G2 Loss to Knicks

The Philadelphia 76ers declared their intentions to file a grievance with the NBA over the officiating in the first two games of their first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks following their disappointing Game 2 loss, but they reportedly stopped short of filing an official protest following Monday's result.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, "The Sixers did have the right to protest the specific outcome of Monday's Game 2. One source close to the situation said Thursday that the Sixers have indeed 'expressed [their] concerns to the league regarding officiating,' but I am told there was no official protest filing before the deadline of midnight on game night."

The Sixers held a five-point lead with under a minute left in Monday's Game 2 but ended up suffering a 104-101 loss. The Knicks took the lead with a frantic sequence that included a turnover by Philadelphia point guard Tyrese Maxey where it looked like there was a foul that wasn't called.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported after Monday's game that a team spokesperson said the Sixers planned to file a grievance. The NBA released a Last 2 Minute Report where the league ruled that Maxey was fouled "multiple times" in the waning moments of the loss and head coach Nick Nurse called for a timeout that the referees didn't see.

After the game, Sixers star center Joel Embiid called the officiating "unacceptable" and later said the loss was "worse" than Philadelphia's devastating Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals on a memorable buzzer-beater by Kawhi Leonard.

The Sixers are looking to climb out of a 0-2 hole as the series shifts to Philadelphia. It can be expected that Embiid, Maxey and the rest of the team will be more prepared for the physicality that has been allowed in the playoffs when they take the court for Thursday's Game 3.