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NBC blames ‘data issue’ for anger-inducing mistake at end of Knicks-Hawks game

Nypost · · 680 words · By Matt Ehalt
Media Error Coaching Performance Sports Analysis
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What to know about Media Error

On the NBC broadcast, Noah Eagle mentioned the timeout and how it would shape the final 5.6 seconds of the Knicks-Hawks Game 2 battle Tuesday night.

Claims checked 8
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center80%
Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

On the NBC broadcast, Noah Eagle mentioned the timeout and how it would shape the final 5.6 seconds of the Knicks-Hawks Game 2 battle Tuesday night.

Why it matters

Inside the NBC studios, Carmelo Anthony touched a monitor wondering why the Knicks had not used a supposed final timeout to set up a potential game-winning shot.

Common ground

And the millions watching at home surely had similar thoughts after seeing Mikal Bridges clank a last-second jumper in the Hawks’ 107-106 upset road win rather than seeing a designed play out of a timeout.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/sports/nbc-blames-data-issue-for-anger-inducing-mi…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 70% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
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Claim 1: “After McCollum missed the first free throw attempt, the Knicks suddenly had a timeout added to their tally.”
CORROBORATED
Yahoo Sports, Amed Post, and the Maria Taylor report all confirm that a timeout was incorrectly added to the NBC score bug immediately after McCollum missed his first free throw.
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web search NEUTRAL — The timeout appeared on the graphic after McCollum’s first missed free throw. Watch what happens here: after CJ’s miss, a timeout is incorrectly added to the graphic.
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/nbc-apologizes-for-data-issue-er…
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web search NEUTRAL — After McCollum missed the first free throw attempt, the Knicks suddenly had a timeout added to their tally. Having a timeout would allow them to advance the ball and set up designed final shot out of …
https://amedpost.com/nbc-blames-data-issue-for-anger-inducin…
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web search NEUTRAL — But after McCollum missed the first attempt, the NBC scorebug then showed that the Knicks had one timeout left.McCollum missed the second free throw as well, and as the Knicks got the rebound and race…
https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/maria-taylor-correction-nbc-…
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Claim 2: “NBC incorrectly adding a timeout the Knicks did not actually have before the rushed final play”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Yahoo Sports, Amed Post, and Maria Taylor via a reported correction) confirm that the NBC score bug incorrectly displayed a timeout for the Knicks during the final play.
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web search NEUTRAL — During this time, they were known for playing tough defense under head coaches Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, making NBA Finals appearances in 1994 and 1999. However, they were unable to win an NBA cha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Knicks
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web search NEUTRAL — Game summary of the New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers NBA game, final score 144-114, from May 10, 2026 on ESPN.
https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401871162
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web search NEUTRAL — Error 524: A Timeout Occurred (What It Is & How to Fix It) lifewire.com 2.
https://www.lifewire.com/error-524-a-timeout-occurred-478274…
info
Claim 3: “the Timberwolves’ 119-114 Game 2 road win over the Nuggets”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia and government pages for the state of Minnesota, with no mention of a basketball game or score.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Minnesota's official motto, L'Étoile du Nord ("The Star of the North"), is the only state motto in French. [5] This phrase was adopted shortly after statehood and reflects both the state's early Frenc…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota
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web search NEUTRAL — Navigate your state and find what you're looking for on Minnesota's state portal.
https://mn.gov/portal/
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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · Minnesota is a constituent state of the United States of America that became the 32nd state of the union on May 11, 1858. The most northerly of the 48 conterminous U.S. states, it consists…
https://www.britannica.com/place/Minnesota
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Claim 4: “the Hawks’ 107-106 upset road win”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one relevant source (Al Jazeera) confirms the Hawks' 107-106 win over the Knicks in Game 2. Other web results are irrelevant tax/motor vehicle documents.
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web search NEUTRAL — Individuals The quick links below have been curated specifically for individuals looking for information on filing taxes, obtaining licenses, registering a business, and other services provided by the…
https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/individuals/
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web search NEUTRAL — Motor Vehicle issues vehicle titles, maintains vehicle records, administers the Mandatory Liability Insurance law, issues motor vehicle regulatory licenses, and administers the International Registrat…
https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/division/motor-vehicle/
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web search NEUTRAL — Qualifying taxpayers may prepare and e-file, both federal and Alabama individual income tax returns using authorized Alabama online individual e-file providers. Many of these online e-file providers o…
https://www.revenue.alabama.gov/individual-corporate/individ…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
Claim 5: “He did not use the timeout the team needed to burn before the three-minute mark before losing it due to the NBA’s two-timeout maximum rule in the final 180 seconds”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source (Yahoo Sports) mentions the Knicks let a 'use-it-or-lose-it' timeout vanish, which aligns with the NBA's three-minute rule, but other provided sources are generic Wikipedia entries or unrelated.
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web search NEUTRAL — New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning calls for a time-out during a 2011 National Football League game.Each team receives one 60-second and three 30-second timeouts per game, in addition to media ti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time-out_(sport)
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web search NEUTRAL — Error 524: A Timeout Occurred (What It Is & How to Fix It) - Lifewire.
https://www.lifewire.com/error-524-a-timeout-occurred-478274…
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web search NEUTRAL — Two of the New York Knicks’ best players may have stood on the sideline, waiting 90 seconds to check into a game that their team trailed by six, but most coaches would not have handled the situation d…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6322798/2025/04/30/knicks-t…
info
Claim 6: “oddly used a timeout with 2:43 remaining when it seemed Jalen Brunson had a chance to score with the Knicks leading, 100-99.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source explicitly describes Mike Brown calling a timeout with 2:43 remaining while the Knicks led 100-99 and Jalen Brunson was dribbling. Other sources do not mention this specific event.
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web search NEUTRAL — New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown screams during the first half of Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in New York.
https://www.aol.com/articles/brooms-stands-144-points-board-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Brown called a timeout with 2:43 remaining in the game and Brunson dribbling to the basket. Brunson didn’t have a clean look, so you can’t say that Brown’s timeout directly prevented the Knicks from s…
https://sny.tv/articles/knicks-left-searching-for-answers-af…
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web search NEUTRAL — Knicks coach Mike Brown calls out a play against the 76ers in Game 4.During a first-quarter timeout, with the rout already in progress, Dolan was the only fan standing in his row of baseline seats not…
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7269240/2026/05/11/knicks-7…
info
Claim 7: “Brown used his final timeout with 10.2 seconds remaining and the Knicks trailing, 107-103.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One specific source confirms the Knicks used their final timeout with 10.2 seconds remaining while trailing by four (107-103). Other sources discuss the timeout issue generally but do not provide the specific timestamp/score.
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web search NEUTRAL — The Knicks’ timeout issue didn’t begin on the last play. It began earlier, when they let a use-it-or-lose-it timeout vanish, then spent the remainder of the night living with that consequence. That’s …
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-timeout-confusion-e…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Knicks used their final timeout with 10.2 seconds remaining following a dunk by Jalen Johnson that gave Atlanta a four-point lead. That decision left New York without the option to stop play on it…
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-knicks/knicks-news-did…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Knicks advanced to the East finals for the second straight season and will play the winner of the Cleveland-Detroit series, which the Pistons lead 2-1.Last season, the Knicks reached the Eastern C…
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48735626/knicks-sweep-76…
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Claim 8: “Before CJ McCollum took the first of his two free throw shots with 5.6 seconds remaining and the Hawks leading, 107-106, the score bug showed the Knicks with no timeouts.”
CORROBORATED
Both Yahoo Sports and the report on Maria Taylor's correction explicitly state that the score bug showed the Knicks with zero timeouts before CJ McCollum's first free throw with 5.6 seconds remaining.
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web search NEUTRAL — Before CJ McCollum took the first of his two free throw shots with 5.6 seconds remaining and the Hawks leading, 107-106, the score bug showed the Knicks with no timeouts.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nbc-blames-data-issue-ange…
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web search NEUTRAL — However, the Knicks didn’t actually have a timeout remaining. As Atlanta’s CJ McCollum went to the foul line to shoot the first of two free throws, the NBC scorebug showed that the Knicks had zero tim…
https://awfulannouncing.com/nbc/maria-taylor-correction-nbc-…
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web search NEUTRAL — New York Knicks' Jalen Brunson reacts after scoring during the second half of Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers in a second-round NBA basketball playoffs series Sunday, May 10, 2026, in Philadelph…
https://www.aol.com/articles/brooms-stands-144-points-board-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.