Refs Accused Of Favoring Spurs Over Knicks In NBA Finals

Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise, but basketball fans were ready to accuse the Game 1 officials of rigging the NBA Finals before halftime even arrived.

The New York Knicks attempted just three free throws in the first half of Game 1. The San Antonio Spurs, on the other hand, attempted 12 free throws during that stretch. That's a pretty big discrepancy in just 24 minutes of action.

There were also a few moments where Knicks star Jalen Brunson had his jersey tugged by San Antonio's defense but was unable to draw the foul call. It's unclear how the refs missed such a blatant foul.

With that being said, NBA fans voiced their displeasure with the refs online.

"Refs and NBA don't want the Knicks to win," one fan commented. "Going to be the Spurs in 5."

"CAN THE NBA REFS CALL A FOUL ON THE SPURS? Jesus dude," a second wrote.

"Refs are letting the Spurs do whatever they want to Jalen Brunson," another fan said. "Dylan Harper is tugging his jersey and there's no foul being called, honestly wild for a Scott Foster officiated game.

"They're calling a lot of foul on the Knicks," another fan pointed out. "Refs cannot allow one team to be the physical and not the other team smh. They're allowing the Spurs to be able to grab and hold…. Literally holding Brunson's jersey."

There was controversy heading into this NBA Finals.

Prior to tipoff for Game 1, Spurs guard Stephon Castle admit that he sells foul calls from time to time.

"I mean, I sell calls too sometimes. I mean, I can't lie. But I mean, it's really just a field thing, especially in the playoffs, you know. If it's too egregious, the refs aren't going to bail you out. They're going to make the two teams, they're going to make the better team win," Castle said. "I think just taking it game by game and not trying to put yourself at a disadvantage. I don't really think it's about selling calls or not trying to sell calls to make yourself look a certain type of way. You know, I think we talk to the refs a lot, especially me in particular, but most of the times they're right. So, I mean, just having a short term memory. I mean, whether you fall down or not, if you get the call or you don't get the call, it's not really something you can change. So, I think for us, just playing the game and seeing how the refs are calling it."

Clearly, the Spurs are doing a pretty good job of getting the officials to blow the whistle during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 7:05 PM.