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Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal wants the NBA to do away with releasing their last-two-minute (L2M) report after games. While many view the release of the L2M report as an opportunity for transparency, Shaquille O'Neal believes that it only serves as fuel for arguments and speculation. The situation was highlighted by the recent Knicks-76ers playoff game that stirred up quite a bit of controversy.
After a big offensive rebound from Isaiah Hartenstein and a clutch three from Donte DiVincenzo, Tyrese Maxey received the inbounds pass for Philadelphia. With Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart forcing a double-team.
Maxey hit the ground with New York retaking possession and Donte DiVincenzo hitting a clutch three-pointer to win the game. While many fans believed that Maxey was fouled, no whistle was blown. When the NBA released the L2M report on the game, the situation read very different than how it played out.
According to the L2M report, both Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson fouled Tyrese Maxey. The way Shaquille O'Neal sees things, given that the call wasn't made in the moment, reviewing it in the L2M report doesn't serve much of a purpose for Philly fans. He spoke in a video released on Instagram:
"Last night, Tyrese Maxey was trying to take the ball out of bounds. Jalen pulls his jersey. The referee is standing right there. He doesn't call out. But, oh, wait. The next day, the NBA last two minute report. Yes, he was fouled. The ref didn't call it.
"But my question is, you admit it now, but what the does that do for Philadelphia? Get rid of the last-minute two-minute report and referees pay attention."
Looking at the NBA's L2M report of 76ers-Knicks after Shaquille O'Neal's comments
While the NBA's L2M report stirs up quite a bit of controversy during the regular season for missed calls, the Game 2 L2M report did so to a greater extent. With the game on the line and the 76ers eager to tie the series up on the road, the stakes couldn't have been higher.
As the L2M report indicated, like Shaquille O'Neal explained, Tyrese Maxey was fouled twice during the inbound sequence prior to Donte DiVincenzo's clutch three. The L2M report indicates that Maxey was fouled by Jalen Brunson before receiving the pass when the Knicks star pulled on his jersey.
He was then fouled by Josh Hart when catching the inbound pass, with the report noting the contact is what made Maxey fall. In addition, although it wasn't mentioned by Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, the L2M report indicates that coach Nick Nurse should have been awarded a timeout before the ball was inbounded.
The latter was referenced by Nick Nurse while speaking to media members after the game, explaining that although he called timeout, nothing happened. According to reports, the 76ers decided to formalize their complaint by filing a grievance with the NBA over the officiating.
As Joel Embiid explained, the sequence of events, including the no-calls and officials failing to give the team a timeout, was quote - "f*****g unacceptable". As the reigning MVP explained, Nurse wasn't the only one attempting to call a timeout.
According to Embiid, he, Nurse, and Nic Batum were all attempting to call a timeout to no avail. With the series headed back to Philly, it will be interesting to see what the rest of the series holds.
