The Atlanta Hawks usually don't get much help from any referee crew. Coming off of the well-documented Trae Young era, they haven't necessarily recovered in the minds of the officials. Through two postseason games this year, it's clear that sentiment isn't going anywhere. They've had to fight for their lives, but most fans wouldn't know from just a quick look at the box score.
It's tied at one game a piece. Atlanta's most recent win, however, almost wasn't given a chance to take place. They won by a single point, but a few key missed calls could've shifted it in the Knicks' favor if they were able to capitalize. They weren't, and the Hawks got the win, but the L2M report came out and rightfully frustrated those who follow the team closely.
New York was almost gifted a free win with some crucial missed calls
The game followed a thrilling script. The Knicks led by 14 points late in the third quarter, and the Hawks came back in the final minutes to make it an intense finish. From there, it was a back-and-forth effort that saw the away team escaping with a narrow victory. If either of these missed calls were called, it wouldn't have been as narrow as it was.
The L2M report revealed two vital moments missed by the officiating crew in the final ten seconds of the game. There couldn't have been a worse time to slip up. Karl-Anthony Towns committed an obvious illegal screen on Jalen Brunson's lead-cutting three, and Mikal Bridges committed a lane violation on the following possession.
Confirmed: there were two gigantic missed calls last night in New York’s favor.
— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) April 21, 2026
Still got the win, but man… https://t.co/xfM9Hjsrir
Right before the first brutal missed call, Atlanta had gone up by four points following a sequence that included a Nickeil Alexander-Walker steal and Jalen Johnson slam. New York got the ball down four, with ten seconds remaining, and a screen from Towns opened the floor for Brunson to knock down his clutch triple.
Hope was not lost for the Knicks, as they now trailed by just one. They had to foul. CJ McCollum was sent to the free throw line, where he ended up missing both. This was anyone's game. The thing is, though, if they had called the clear lane violation, McCollum would've gotten a chance to re-take one of his foul shots. The 13-year veteran wasn't going to miss three in a row.
The Hawks didn't let the poor officiating get in their heads
Most teams do. It's easy to fold when calls aren't going a certain way, but how a group responds to that adversity is a key differentiator from serious and unserious ball clubs.
An optimistic fan could hope that this uneven whistle won't continue the rest of the way, but if history is any indicator, Atlanta needs to be prepared for that to ultimately be the case. If they're able to respond like they did in Game Two, they're going to have a great chance to advance.
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