Jaylen Brown requested that the end of this game be investigated. Especially when a foul was called on the floor, such as Buddy Hield fouling Brown on a jumper with 3.2 seconds left in a tied game, but the Pacers disputed the decision, which was reversed.
However, according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report, the officials made the correct call, which was a no call. Here’s the explanation:
“The video clearly shows Hield reaching out to make contact with the ball from behind Brown (BOS). While in contact with the ball, Hield makes slight contact with Brown’s head, which is appropriately considered incidental upon review. According to the rulebook, just making contact does not always constitute a penalty; contact that occurs as a result of a player’s attempt to protect an opponent, get a lost ball, or undertake regular defensive or attacking motions is not considered illegal.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73037047/usa_today_22250474.0.jpg)
This is an intriguing decision for a league that has been extremely cautious with any punches to the head. In some areas of front offices and locker rooms, there is a perception that the L2MRs have become a tool to support referees in important situations rather than to bring transparency. According to the argument, the league wants its referees to focus on the major issues.
This Last Two Minute Report discovered a few missed calls, including the one that decided the game.
• The referees should have called an illegal screen on Myles Turner for screening Derrick White with two seconds remaining in regulation.
• The refs wrongly called a foul on Kristaps Porzingis on Ben Mathurin’s shot with 0.6 seconds remaining. NBA’s explanation:
Porzingis (BOS) is above the ball and legally disputes Mathurin’s (IND) shot attempt, which includes some unintentional arm contact during the block.
The referees reviewed the call to see whether the shot occurred before the clock expired (it did), but they were unable to review the foul itself. Boston had exhausted its challenge and could not challenge this call. Mathurin made both free throws to give Indiana the game after what should have been a no-call.
