With the score tied at 95 with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Boston stole a Suns inbound pass and the Celtics' Paul Silas attempted to call a time-out by giving the "T" sign to Powers.

[3] Mendy Rudolph and Rick Barry, color commentators for the CBS Sports telecast, were quick to note that Silas was signaling for a timeout, but Powers ignored the request.

[3] Angered over the incident, Al Bianchi, then-assistant coach of the Suns, ordered a ring in which the words "Fuck You, Richie Powers" were inscribed.

[6] Two incidents in the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons further reduced his reputation: In a February 1978 game between the New Jersey Nets and Atlanta Hawks, Powers, to avoid being badgered, told coaches Kevin Loughery and Hubie Brown that they could play zone defenses.

In a November 8, 1978 game between the Nets and 76ers at the Spectrum, Powers hit both Kevin Loughery and then rookie Bernard King with their third technical fouls, over the "limit" of two prescribed by an unwritten rule, although Powers claims he was not reminded that each person was hit with a previous technical foul by the other officials working the game with him.

[6] He was a longtime member of the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York,[citation needed] and died of a stroke[1] in 1998 in Allentown, Pennsylvania at the age of 67.