I’m not going to lie. One of my favorite pastimes is pointing out the mistakes of NBA officials. Hell, I’m a flawless employee, father, brother, child, friend and lover, so why shouldn’t I hold them to such a standard?
According the NBA’s Last Two Minutes report, the officials botched about 15 fouls and/or infractions in the Celtics/Rockets game.
Remember the loose ball that went out of bounds with 7 seconds remaining? Yes, the Celtics were awarded possession (rightly) but James Harden fouled Al Horford on the play:
RHH shows that Harden (HOU) makes contact with Horford’s (BOS) arm and affects his ability to retrieve the rebound
According to NBC’s Dan Feldman, the foul would have bumped Houston into the bonus and Horford would have on the free throw line. Game over. There never should have been a missed lay-up at the buzzer. Ah-HA!
But since we’re playing the what-if game… I should point out that had Al made the lay-up, Rockets fans might be squawking about a few things:
Thomas (BOS) pulls Harrell’s (HOU) arm after the two players engage and the contact affects his ability to defend the play
Horford (BOS) moves his pivot foot.
I’ve read the L2M report a few times now and I’m still not sure how I feel. Did the Celtics get screwed or not? Someone please tell me if I should be upset.
(h/t NBC Sports)
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