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When Clyde Frazier was playing in the NBA in the 1960s and 70s, referees notably allowed players to get away with significantly more contact than today. In recent years, however, the NBA has made a concentrated effort to ensure games are called fairly. With offensive players who initiated egregious levels of contact receiving favorable whistles, the league decided to crack down.
Even though there's still controversy around what should, or shouldn't be, considered a foul, it's evident that in the playoffs, referees allow for a more physical game. This has been seen in several instances throughout the first round, notably during the recent Knicks-76ers game, and the Lakers-Nuggets game.
While speaking on a recent episode of their Roomates Show, Knicks standouts Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson spoke with Hall of Famer Clyde Frazier. The way he sees things, as a longtime commentator for the Knicks, referees are making an effort to call less fouls during playoff games.
"They let you guys play a little more at a part of this season, yeah I guess they want more flow with the game not stopping it all the time with different fouls. So the playoff is going to be that way you set a tempo or whatever your reputation is that's what you get by with if you're a physical guy they let you pound a little more."
You can see Clyde Frazier's comments in the video below beginning shortly after the 15-minute mark.
Looking at the controversial officiating in the first round of the playoffs on the heels of Clyde Frazier's comments
As Hall of Famer and Knicks legend Clyde Frazier indicated, NBA referees are allowing more contact in the playoffs. This, of course, comes on the heels of a controversial no-call at the end of the recent Knicks-76ers game, which saw Tyrese Maxey turn the ball over without a whistle.
While the call was immediately a controversial one, it wasn't until the league released its L2M (Last 2 Minutes) report that more clarity was provided on the situation. Per the report, not only was Maxey fouled once, but he was fouled twice, both by Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
The report confirmed what many maintained, that Maxey was fouled, and although the referees are allowing for more contact, a whistle should have been blown. A similar situation played out in the Game 2 meeting between the LA Lakers and Denver Nuggets.
Late in the game, the Lakers took umbrage with the fact that a foul wasn't called on the Nuggets for hitting D'Angelo Russell in the head on a drive to the hoop. After allowing the Nuggets to continue with their late-game run, the Lakers lost the game before then voicing their concerns during the post-game press conference.
In that case, however, the league's L2M report indicated that the referees were right not to blow the whistle, sparking even more debate among fans. Although it's clear that referees with allow for more contact in the postseason, as Clyde Frazier indicated, fans are hoping for more accurate calls as the playoffs progress.
