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Another day, another controversial ending to an otherwise great game. This time it came at the end of the showdown between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks managed to escape with the victory after a game-winning lay-in from superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo over superstar point guard Russell Westbrook. Although it became evident that Antetkounmpo had stepped out prior to the shot, the referees did not go back and review the play. Crew chief Derrick Stafford gave his explanation to pool reporter Brett Dawson of the Oklahoman following the game:
The following is a transcript of the pool reporter interview following the Bucks/Thunder game with NBA Crew Chief Derrick Stafford by Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman: pic.twitter.com/9mVzRouqz0
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) December 30, 2017
“In any reviewable matter, there has to be a whistle called on the floor,” Stafford said. “There was no whistle blown for the play, so we couldn't review it.”
Despite Stafford's attempt to clarify the mistake, there had indeed been a whistle blown after the score. However, the crew had spent that period trying to determine the amount of time left in the game. Furthermore, there has been some speculation as to the legitimacy of his statement.
With just over a second left and no timeouts, Westbrook was forced to heave the ball from full-court which ultimately missed. Needless to say, it was an unfortunate ending for the Thunder after an impressive comeback in the second half. Oklahoma City will have a chance to get back into the win column on Sunday versus the lowly Dallas Mavericks.
