When the referees lose the level-headed Mike Breen as an ally, it signals that the NBA has an officiating problem. The New York Knicks faced off against the Atlanta Hawks on MLK Day, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Late in the fourth quarter, the refs missed a foul that should have sent Karl-Anthony Towns to the free throw line, further compounding their error by hitting the Knicks All-Star center with a technical foul. While the officials may have been unbothered by the blunder, Breen was not.
Even Mike Breen thought this technical foul call was ridiculous pic.twitter.com/gkA5U9Op30
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
“Raked across the arm!” Breen exclaimed as the replay displayed Trae Young hitting Towns while he drove to the basket. “They missed a foul call, and then Towns got upset—he was demonstrative, but that’s not the place for a technical unless he said something offensive, which is unlikely for Towns. You don’t call a technical there, especially after missing a call.” His point was clear: it’s inappropriate to call a technical in a tense late-game situation, particularly on a player who has every reason to be frustrated.
Everything Breen said resonated, making it surprising to hear such criticism from him, as he typically allows his analysts to address officiating issues. However, in situations as egregious as this, even Mike Breen feels compelled to speak out against the referees.
