The Knicks have been called for all sorts of strange things this season.
81 down, one to go.
81 games into this roller coaster ride of a regular season, we’ve reached a point of reflection.
On Sunday, the Knicks will play their final game before the heart palpitations begin next weekend when the No. 3-seed Knicks and the No. 6-seed Pistons do battle in a best-of-seven series.
While sorting through the NBA’s stat page, I found a quirky part of the site.
Under the tab that defaults to “general”, there’s a pretty useless tab called “violations”.
In the violations tab, you see… violations.
They range from travels to double dribbles to the most niche of violations.
So, I thought with no meaningful games to play until next weekend, let’s go through some of these rare violations and find examples of the Knicks committing them this season.
We’ll start with the most common ones and end with the rarest, for funsies.
The Least Rare Calls
A bunch of normal violations fall under here. The Knicks have committed:
107 offensive fouls, 81 shot-clock violations, 48 kicked-ball violations, 46 travels, 28 delay-of-games, and 24 charges.
Where do those rank in the NBA?
22nd, 4th, 2nd, T-17th, T-1st, and T-17th.
The kings of these calls are as follows:
Nets (136 O-Fouls & 100 SCVs), Timberwolves (52 kicked balls & 28 DoG), Grizzlies (81 travels), and Rockets (45 charges).
The most frugal?
Cavs (83 O-Fouls & 16 charges), Celtics (40 SCVs), Pistons (15 kicked balls), Lakers (29 travels)
Ok, onto the more fun ones.
Defensive Goaltending (10)
Rank: T-27th | Most: Pelicans (37) | Least: Cavs (7)
The Knicks do not goaltend very often. The average team has committed around 20 of these violations, but we only see it happen once every eight games for the Knicks. It hasn’t happened in over a month.
Of the specific violators, Precious Achiuwa leads with three, followed by Jericho Sims, KAT, and Mitchell Robinson with two.
And then, there’s this one by Mikal Bridges in the first quarter of the entire NBA season back in October:
Defensive 3-Seconds (7)
Rank: T-22nd | Most: Nets (19) | Least: Nuggets/Bulls (3)
Defensive 3-seconds is a center’s call. For example, Georges Niang is one of the only non-bigs to be called for it more than three times this season. Brook Lopez has somehow done it eleven times.
On the Knicks, OG Anunoby has done it twice, with Sims, KAT, Bridges, and Achiuwa also having one.
And then, there’s Matt Ryan.
For some indescribable reason, Matt Ryan got called for defensive 3-seconds on November 13th in a game the Knicks eventually lost by one. Unfortunately, there is no video of this.
Offensive 3-Seconds (5)
Rank: T-9th | Most: Grizzlies (12) | Least: Nuggets/Suns (0)
Defensive 3-seconds’ less-common brother.
The Knicks are one of ten teams to have this called on them five times this season. Of those five, predictably, three were committed by Karl-Anthony Towns and two were committed by Mitchell Robinson.
Here’s the most recent one, committed by Mitch on 3/30 by just camping in the lane:
8-Second Violation (4)
Rank: T-2nd | Most: Nets (5) | Least: Several (0)
These ones are always interesting. I feel like you see them more in college basketball, since pros can break a press better.
While several teams haven’t committed one, the Knicks are one of six teams to commit at least four. Not great.
In fact, one of these happened this week in Detroit, as Brunson fell down after being faceguarded at full court and had only PJ Tucker as backup. Maybe this should be in the film sessions this week, Thibby.
5-Second Violation (3)
Rank: T-8th | Most: Jazz (6) | Least: Several (0)
Really? Only 3?
As a violation that only exists with high-pressure inbound plays, I’m surprised a team with longstanding inbound issues isn’t at the top of the list.
The Jazz somehow committed four in February alone. The last one to happen to the Knicks came on February 3rd, somehow on a regular third quarter inbound against the Rockets.
One of the other ones came in early January… in the first quarter?
Offensive Goaltending (3)
Rank: T-20th | Most: Heat/Blazers (8) | Least: Warriors (0)
The ol’ cylinder call.
I think offensive goaltending is an extremely interesting concept. It’s legal in Europe and in international play, but illegal in the NBA.
My issue with it is that if a player tips a ball in while its on the cylinder and it isn’t called, there is no way to check it. Now, if it was called incorrectly, it could be challenged, but that only plays one side of the coin.
The NBA should fix this.
Anyway, this also happened on Thursday. Clean it up.
Palming (3)
Rank: T-20th | Most: Grizzlies (6) | Least: Several (0)
The dumbest rule in basketball.
Palming is done dozens of times a game, every game. It’s been called a grand total of 61 times all season.
Now, I’m not advocating for MORE palming calls. However, the rule inconsistencies pretty much allow the referees to call it whenever they want. It goes uncalled way too much and it makes me think the rule isn’t worth it. It doesn’t shock me that Memphis has the most when Ja Morant is a target of officiating all the time.
Now, the rare time it was called on the Knicks was understandable. Josh Hart did something illegal here in an early March meeting with Golden State:
Backcourt Violation (2)
Rank: 30th | Most: Blazers (14) | Least: Knicks (2)
Raise a banner. The Knicks are the only team to commit fewer than four backcourt violations this season.
The average team has committed eight this year, which is hard to believe.
The two Knicks ones were on December 23rd and January 27th. The more recent one cme after a miscommunication between KAT and Landry Shamet, along with slick hands by Jaren Jackson Jr., forced the error:
Double Dribble (1)
Rank: 30th | Most: Blazers (10) | Least: Warriors (0)
Now, we’re cooking. From here out, only one violation each.
Portland, how the hell did you do this ten times?
The only time its happened to the Knicks this season came earlier this week, when OG Anunoby blatantly double dribbled against the Celtics:
Lane Violation (1)
Rank: 30th | Most: Several (4) | Least: Several (0)
A ticky-tack call most of the time. I feel like a lot of lane violations also go uncalled.
The lone time it happened to a Knick this season was on November 17 against the nets, when OG pretty clearly committed it:
Jump Ball Violation (1)
Most: Pacers (2) | Least: Several (0)
Now we’re talking.
OG should’ve been called for one against the Heat last month when he held Bam Adebayo’s arm down, but it wasn’t called.
This one occurred on the opening tip in the March 30 win over Portland, when KAT touched the ball before it reached its ascent. Boo.
Discontinued Dribble (1)
Most: Timberwolves (6) | Least: Several (0)
Excuse me?
I need a primer on a discontinued dribble. Hang on.
If you’re curious, here’s the definition.
The one time it happened to the Knicks in 2024-25 was on December 21 in New Orleans, when KAT did… this.
After seeing it on video, yeah that makes sense.
Inbound Violation (0?)
Nope. Not believing this.
Josh Hart did this in Portland. I am not letting the NBA lie to me.
Look, it’s right here.
Ok, I guess it’s considered a travel. Whatever. I think I know what an inbound violation is supposed to look like.
The last time a Knick committed an inbound violation?
March 16, 2022 against Portland (lol) by Jericho Sims. I can’t find a video of that, but the Knicks somehow committed one just nine days earlier in Sacramento, when Deuce McBride literally handed the ball to Immanuel Quickley on an inbound with 0.2 seconds left in 16-point game.
Yes, it gets that stupid.