Author: Monojit Mandal
The Boston Celtics’ thrilling victory over the Miami Heat in Game 6 had its share of critics. The NBA has stepped forward to defend the way the referees handled the Heat’s last offensive play, stating that the decisions were fair.
The NBA came to the conclusion that all the calls were correct on the play in which Jimmy Butler was fouled by Al Horford while trying to make a shot in the final seconds of Saturday’s tight contest, in its Last Two Minute report.
Horford, in fact, fouled Butler behind the 3-point line, according to the report, which the Celtics appealed unsuccessfully. Butler briefly lost control of the ball before being fouled, but quickly regained it, proving that the referees were right not to book him for a double dribble.
Regarding the probable double-dribble situation involving Butler, the league’s analysis concluded: “Butler (MIA) loses the ball out of his control when he finishes his dribble, then retrieves it and legally attempts a field goal”.
Most importantly, the study found that the foul occurred with just three seconds left on the clock. Initially, there were only 2.1 seconds remaining when the foul was called, but the referees opted to add 0.9 seconds when the Celtics challenged the decision.
Derrick White had just 0.1 seconds when the ball left his hand for a potentially game-winning putback, so the extra time was crucial for the Celtics as it prevented him from having time to make the putback.
Social media erupted in anger when the timeout went in favor of the Celtics, with some people imagining that the referees could have lost the game for the Heat. However, this was not the case.
The Heat profited from the only two missed calls of the game, according to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report. The investigation found that during Jaylen Brown’s missed free throw with just over a minute left in the game, Caleb Martin should have been called for a lane violation. The investigation also came to the conclusion that Gabe Vincent should have been called for a shooting foul on Jayson Tatum with 33.5 seconds left and the Celtics holding a slim 101-100 lead.