By: Kenny Denslow, Sports Management, ’25

On February 26, 2024, the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons played at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are having a phenomenal season, as heading into the game they held the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference at 34-23. The Detroit Pistons on the other hand, have had a rough ride. Heading into this game, they held a league worst record at 8-48 in a season highlighted by the worst losing streak of all time at 28 games. The Pistons were hoping for more success this season after signing head coach Monty Williams to a massive six year $72 million dollar contract, but things have not worked out so far. Despite their record, they fight hard and were hoping to beat a short handed Knicks team who were missing three starting players, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson. This game was down to the wire, as the Pistons were up 111-110 with under thirty seconds left to go in the fourth quarter. The Knicks had possession, Jalen Brunson missed a three pointer, Pistons guard Quentin Grimes collected the rebound, threw the ball to his teammate Simone Fontecchio, who had the ball stolen by Knicks forward Josh Hart. Knicks center Isaiah Hartenstein collected the basketball, passed it to Donte DiVincenzo, who had his pass to Knicks player Precious Achiuwa stolen by Pistons forward Ausar Thomspon. Thompson attempted to then run with the ball but lost it after DiVincenzo dived into his kness. No foul was called, and Jalen Brunson recovered the basketball to find Josh Hart for what was the game winning shot. Watch it here:

So the biggest question that the NBA needs to answer after this game is simple. Does the league have an officiating problem? An official is standing right beside where this play is occurring, and he still does not call a foul. The following day, which was Feburary 27, 2024, the NBA admitted that a foul should have been called. The league may not have an officiating problem if this were something that had only happened once, but the Knicks were literally involved in a game weeks ago where they lost due to a costly no call. The NBA does have an officiating problem, but I have some ideas that can help eliminate this problem.How officiating works in an NBA game is that there is one head official as well as one or two umpires. A good solution to fix the NBA’s officiating problem would be to add another referee. This referee can stand at center court for the entire game and pay close attention to what is going on, which would have caused the foul that DiVincenzo committed to be called. Officials often do not get enough credit for how hard they work, as they are constantly criticized for calls they miss during a game and are not praised for calls that they make. I would never condemn NBA referees, as I have great respect for them and for what they do. This solution would make every NBA referee’s job easier.The image above showcases the NBA’s replay center, which is where the most difficult calls during an NBA game are made. The trouble with no calls is that the current league rules do not allowed them to be reviewed during the game. If I were in charge of the NBA, I would have reviewed the play after Josh Hart’s basket, and then the officials could have made the correct call. This is a rule that can easily be changed and it should be, as it would decrease complaints about officiating by a large amount. I did not even mention that I am a Knicks fan. This is the last way that I ever want my favorite team to win a game. The NBA’s officiating problem can be changed, it is just up to the league to determine if they will take the right steps to implement crucial new rules.