Referee assignments for Knicks-Pacers Game 6 ignites fans chatter: "Tony Brothers close out game"

The New York Knicks face the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on the road on Saturday night. The Knicks need to win to force a Game 7 at home with a spot in the NBA Finals on the line. When James Capers, Tyler Ford and Tony Brothers were revealed as the referees for Game 6, fans had a variety of reactions.

Throughout the postseason, fans have expressed their opinions on how officials have approached games. Some referees, in particular, have become focal points of the conversation, including Brothers. Some fans were happy to see him instead of other officials, while others said they wished any other referee had been assigned to the game.

Amongst NBA players, Brothers is considered to be one of the best officials in the league. However, fans do not share that sentiment. Throughout his career as an NBA referee, Brothers has made controversial calls that have fans wondering if he had ulterior motives or if he is actually good at what he does.

The referee assignment for Game 6, posted by The Athletic's James L. Edwards, had fans in an uproar on social media. One fan took things a step further, saying that Saturday's game would be a big one for Brothers.

Other fans echoed that sentiment, not happy to see that Brothers will lead the officiating team in Game 6.

Johnny X. Large

@sirJXL

BAH GAWD THAT'S TONY BROTHERS MUSIC!!! THE CLOSER!!! (it's not good)

Jay Nyce713

@JAYNYCE1

Pay the witch to take out Tony Brothers

Some fans took a different approach, happy to have the Brothers on the game instead of some other officials the NBA could have given the game to.

Perceptive Thoughts

@Mavrik2190

Knicks have a good record with one and a bad record with the other two. Could have been a worse draw. Not bad overall.

Dikembe Mumbojumbo

@Supreme_Nalgas

At least neither the Goble brothers nor Ray Acosta are reffin

Stephen A. Smith gives the Knicks a 0% chance of winning the NBA championship

Regardless of if Brothers was officiating Game 6 or not, the Knicks need to win the next two games against the Pacers in order to advance to their first NBA Finals since 1999. New York won Game 5 111-94 on their home floor, and they hope to ride that momentum to another win.

Even if they advance, though, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith doesn't believe they stand a chance against the OKC Thunder.

"The reason why I haven't been so gung-ho about it over the last few days, it's not just because of the New York Knicks' struggles," Smith said. "It's because I give them zero chance of beating the Oklahoma City Thunder if they were to advance to the Finals."

Smith is one of the biggest New York fans the team has, but his lack of faith in his team is concerning to Knicks supporters. However, he may have a point. In both of their matchups this season, the Thunder were victorious by double digits, including a 126-101 blowout at Madison Square Garden.

Oklahoma City is a serious test for whichever team wins the Eastern Conference finals, but New York needs to deal with the Pacers in order to get there, all under the watchful eye of Brothers, whether fans like him or not.