Officiating has become the story of the NBA playoffs as of late, which is unfortunate.
Before all of the madness that went down last night between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, the league had to address a big missed call late in Game 7 between the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors.
With less than 20 seconds to go, the Pacers held the ball down just three points to the Raptors. Rather than settle for a 3-pointer, Indiana attempted to get a quick two.
Paul George accelerated toward the basket, but he ultimately decided to throw a lob up to Ian Mahinmi on the opposite side of the rim. That's when this happened:
RELATED: NBA Twitter Reacts To The Controversial No-Call on Dion Waiters
DeMar DeRozan basically boxed out Mahinmi as he attempted to catch the pass, and the ball sailed out of bounds with possession going to Toronto.
In yesterday's Last Two Minute Report, the NBA stated that a foul indeed should have been called on DeRozan on the play.
DeRozan (TOR) makes body contact with Mahinmi (IND), dislodging him and affecting his ability to catch the alley-oop pass.
Of course, there are many missed calls throughout every game, but with that much on the line, it's a tough pill for the Pacers to swallow. Admitting the mistake helps the league's credibility, but it doesn't do Indiana any good with the game no longer in question.
Had the foul been called, the Pacers would've had two free throws that, if converted, would've brought them to within a single point. Instead, the Raptors ended up being able to cruise to victory in the final seconds.
Follow Us
Subscribe