The 2023-24 NBA season isn't even a month old yet, and we already have our first big referee controversy. The ending to the Oklahoma City Thunder – Golden State Warrior game featured a rather questionable call that directly led to the game-winner. On Stephen Curry' game-winner, Draymond Green appeared to interfere with the rim: supposedly a clear-cut goaltend. After review, though, the refs decided to uphold the call, which meant that the shot counted.

Of course, all of the discourse revolved around the “missed” call, and how the Thunder were robbed of the win. However, after the game, Josh Giddey did not want to pin the blame on the call, per Brandon Rahbar. Essentially, the Thunder star said that the game shouldn't have come down to the final shot.

“Josh Giddey on the final bucket: “At the end of the day, I don’t think it should’ve came down to that for us.””

While the loss does sting, blaming the referees is ignoring the larger issues that the Thunder displayed in the game. OKC was able to keep pace with the high-powered Warriors offense. That is admirable. What isn't fine, though, is the team giving up 141 to any team, no matter how good their opponent is. Trying to outscore your opponents in the modern NBA just isn't a viable blueprint to win games.

Besides, there's also the fact that Green's “goaltend” isn't as clear-cut as some fans make it out to be. The replay and the referee's review state that a goaltend is when a ball is significantly interfered by another player. The refs deemed that Green's actions at the rim did not affect the shot, and therefore was called back.