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Given that we spent the last two minutes of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers, complaining that seemingly endless official comments disrupted the course of the match, it was an absolute shock to see the referees ignore it. Invitation to review during one of the most important moments in Suns 84-80 Game 4 on Saturday night.
With 7.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Clippers striker Nicholas Batum took the ball off the right hand of Suns goalkeeper Cameron Payne, sending the ball out of bounds. While it was clear that Batum hit the ball first, there was certainly some doubt as to whether Payne was the last player to touch it on the way to the front row.
It’s hard to argue against at least looking at the play when it’s up close.
However, despite the objections of the Clippers (and the ESPN broadcast team), the stewards refused to review the play, and Chris Paul hit two free throws after the inside pass that followed to give the Suns a three-point lead. From there, Phoenix played the spoiled game and is now 3-1 up in the series as he looks to advance to the NBA Finals.
The Clippers were unable to challenge the play because they had successfully used their challenge a minute earlier, when Patrick Beverly’s foul was invalidated and instead Devin Booker got his sixth offensive foul.
Confusingly, officials chose not to review the play, especially since Game 2 has had five replay reviews in the last 120 seconds, including an out-of-bounds call that was nearly identical to what happened in Game 4. 9.3 seconds into the end of Tuesday’s final quarter, Patrick Beverly, the Clippers’ defensive scourge, looked to have taken the ball out of bounds. But officials reviewed the play and found that the ball eventually slipped out of Booker’s hand, so the ball was awarded to the Clippers.
Clippers coach Tyrone Law said after Game 4 that he was surprised not to review the play, but that he would not pursue any kind of action from the league because he was “not the complainant.”
“When it comes to a close match like this, I think you just have to check it in just to be sure,” Low said. “And they didn’t.”
The referees also blatantly fouled Michael Bridges in Terrence Mann’s layup one minute before the end. The free throw would have cut Sun’s lead to two points. The referees obviously lose calls in every game, and the Clippers may have had their fair share of unexplained fouls on Saturday, but with no review late in the game this is especially painful.
And whether he protested or not, there is no doubt that the decision not to review the play affected the outcome of the match. If the call was called off, the Clippers would have had the ball 7.8 seconds earlier, down 79-78. Instead, they went down by three points, and another pet wrath from many NBA fans — a contamination when you’re up three points — led to an unexpected long end.
The NBA has a hard time when it comes to restarting. When reviewers call for too many reviews, fans complain that Endgame becomes a marathon. When they choose not to review a play, such as on Saturday, the league is crucified for not receiving the call properly. At this point, the error on the review side is probably safer if there is any question at all. The judges didn’t do that in Game 4, and the Clippers could have cost the game — and possibly the series.
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Picture Credit!