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

May 31, 2025

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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 in order 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 has 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 for any other referee to have 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 had 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.

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

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

Stephen A. Smith gives the Knicks a 0% chance at 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.

About the author

Zachary Howell is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with a degree in Broadcast and Digital Journalism from Syracuse University and over a year of experience in the field.

Being introduced to the digital side of content inspired Zachary to become a writer, and his love of basketball made this an obvious transition.

His favorite team is the OKC Thunder, and Zachary started following them in 2011 when they were on the rise with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. His favorite basketball players from the past are Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal. Those three came to define their eras of basketball and were dominant without beating their chests too much. Zachary is a big fan of quiet greatness and these three players are good embodiments of that.

When not writing or watching sports, Zachary enjoys reading and exercising, as well as gaming. He loves to be outside and spend time with friends and family, including his three dogs.

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