NBA confirms another crucial missed call
These recent last-two-minute reports have stung.
The NBA’s last two-minute report confirms that Paul George should have been whistled for an offensive foul when driving to the hoop against Jarrett Allen on Friday night. This play resulted in an and-one finish from George and a nine-point lead for the Philadelphia 76ers in their win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland has been on the wrong side of two crucial missed calls this week. Both featuring Allen. Earlier on Wednesday, it was an incorrect non-call against Alperen Sengun that should have given the Cavaliers two free throws in a tight game. This time, George’s hook on Allen could have given the Cavs a wider margin of error in their comeback effort.
Regardless, the Cavs nearly pulled off the comeback against Philadelphia. A flurry of three-point shots from Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Ty Jerome allowed them a chance to tie the game with fewer than 10 seconds remaining. An errant pass from Jerome that sailed out of bounds sealed the deal. That pass overshadowed what was an otherwise great game from the three guards.
Likewise, the Cavaliers blew their chance at surviving a missed call against Houston. We can complain about the officials all we want — but three free throw attempts from Garland and the ball back should be enough to overcome a two-point deficit. It, however, wasn’t as Garland missed two out of three from the line and then Mitchell missed a three-point attempt that would’ve won the game.
The Cavs have no one to blame but themselves. Still, the last two-minute report succeeds in once again rubbing salt into the wound.