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Fans and players alike were fuming over a controversial overturned foul call made by the officials late in a barn burner between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers. Well, that ire has done nothing to sway the NBA on that particular decision.
The play in question saw Buddy Hield contest a Jaylen Brown jump shot with just over three seconds left in the game. He blocks the attempt but also makes contact with Brown's head, prompting a foul to be called. Indiana challenged the ruling, and it was reversed. The Pacers were rewarded possession and ultimately won the contest, 133-131, after a pair of Bennedict Mathurin free throws.
The league's Last Two Minute Report (L2M) interestingly sheds light on both officiating decisions. Be forewarned, though, Celtics fans. It is only going to make you angrier.
What the officials had to say after review of Celtics-Pacers ending
“The video clearly shows that Hield reaches forward and makes contact with the ball from behind Brown (BOS),” the L2M Report reads. “While in contact with the ball, Hield also makes minimal contact with Brown's head, and on review that contact was correctly deemed incidental. As the rulebook makes clear, the mere fact that contact occurs does not necessarily constitute a foul.”
While the Pacers' are technically vindicated, the outrage, which LeBron James expressed on Monday night following the game's wild ending, remains strong. What will likely be more infuriating for Boston, however, is that the subsequent foul called on Kristaps Porzingis- which clinched the win for Indy- was deemed the incorrect call.
The report claims that Porzingis brushes up against Mathurin via incidental contact, similarly to the explanation that reinforced the prior ruling. Only in this case, the C's are not benefiting as is intended. Moreover, the L2M says a foul was missed right before that play, in which Myles Turner runs into Celtics guard Derrick White on a screen.
A tough night for Boston bleeds into the following day due to these findings. Expect the team and its fans to unleash all of their frustration in a marquee matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
