‘Phantom fouls’: Officials continue to be a bone of contention for fans in NBA Finals Game 6
ByHT News Desk
Jun 20, 2025 08:13 AM IST
The Indiana Pacers, facing a do-or-die situation in the NBA Finals Game 6, have put up a dominant first-half performance, leading by 22 points at halftime.
The NBA finals seem to be heading to Game 7, but one thing hasn't changed over the six games so far: the fans’ unhappiness with officiating.
IObi Toppin #1 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates a three-point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Getty Images via AFP)
IObi Toppin #1 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates a three-point basket against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter in Game 6 of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025, in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Getty Images via AFP)
The Indiana Pacers, facing a do-or-die situation, have put up a dominant first-half performance, leading by 22 points at halftime. As the Oklahoma City Thunder face an uphill task to come back from 42-64 down, fans have been critical of the referees and their calls.
Some fans called the NBA Finals ‘rigged’, others said that the league wanted to have a Game 7 in the series. Here are a few of the reactions on social media:
“NBA finals so rigged 😂😂 okc gonna smoke the pacers in game 7,” a fan wrote.
“tell me the @NBA want 7 games in this finals series without saying it. OKC could wipe the floor with Indiana every game but here we are. Game 7 incoming. shameless refereeing and commercialisation of sport,” another fan said.
“Every thunder trip down the floor: awful basketball… every pacers trip: refs blowing the whistle nba finals suck,” a fan said.
“This NBA finals game 6 is so rigged it’s pathetic!” another fan wrote their opinion.
“NBA finals rigged? Last 2 drives for OKC phantom fouls are called. Replay shouldn’t be required to overturn no contact,’ a fan said.
Indiana Pacers dominate NBA Finals Game 6
The Indiana Pacers dominated most of the NBA Finals Game 6, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder by 30 points at the end of the third quarter. The Pacers, who have to win the game to force a Game 7, led 90-60 at home with one quarter to go.
Pacers' Tyrese Haliburton started in Game 6 of the NBA Finals while still dealing with a strained right calf.
Haliburton has been dealing with lower leg issues throughout the series, and the calf strain flared up in Game 5 on Monday night. He played through it for the final three quarters of that loss to the Thunder, though he basically stopped looking to shoot in the second half.
The injury did not stop him from playing, and he put up a decent performance while continuing to get treated on the sidelines whenever he went out.
Nba
News / Sports / US Sports / ‘Phantom fouls’: Officials continue to be a bone of contention for fans in NBA Finals Game 6
See Less