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From the NBA’s perspective, the officials in Sunday’s controversial Game 4 of the rough-and-tumble Western Conference finals, won by the Suns to take a 3-1 lead over the L.A. Clippers, did nothing wrong, at least when it came to one of the most-debated plays of the evening.
The play came with just 7.8 seconds remaining and Phoenix ahead, 79-78. On an inbound play, Jae Crowder sent a pass to Suns forward Dario Saric, who caught it then mishandled it, only to have the ball wind up with his teammate, Cameron Payne. As Payne tried to dribble up the sideline, Clippers forward Nic Batum reached in and tapped the ball away, out of bounds.
That’s how the referees saw it. Have a look:
Despite Batum’s protestations, the officials did not even call for a replay, an odd decision considering the frequent use of replay at the end of games during this postseason. But according to the league’s Last 2 Minutes Report, which evaluates the calls of refs in the final two minutes of the game, the refs were so confident they were right that they did not need to check.
But have a look at the front-angle replay. It sure looks like the ball hit Payne’s hand before it went out, which would have given the Clippers the ball with a one-point deficit and 7.8 seconds. Instead, it was Suns ball.
While no Clippers were asked about the play, veteran Clippers forward Patrick Patterson was not happy and took to Twitter to express his displeasure, imagining a faux statement that would be released by the NBA in the morning. Wrote Patterson:
NBA Report: Refs ‘Did Not Have Doubt as to the Call’
Of course, in the end, Patterson’s prediction was not quite right. The NBA report said the refs did not review the play because they were certain they had it right.
But the L2M report does hedge on the play, basically saying it can neither confirm nor deny whether the refs should have been so certain. Here’s what the report says:
“With 7.8 seconds remaining, Batum cleanly knocked the ball from Payne near the sideline, causing it to go out of bounds. Referees awarded the ball to PHX and since they did not have doubt as to the call, they did not utilize replay. Based on postgame and L2M reviews, there is not clear and conclusive evidence that the call was incorrect.”
Clippers Blew Fourth-Quarter Opportunities
Now, to be certain, this game was there for the taking for the Clippers, who fell behind early and trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half. L.A. rallied in the third, cut the lead to two points for much of the fourth but could never quite grab the lead—it was a wire-to-wire lead for Phoenix, without so much as a tie during the 48 minutes of action.
The Clippers missed 10 shots that would have given them a lead in the fourth quarter, from a variety of spots—they missed three layups and three 3-pointers while down by one point, plus another four jumpers. They missed two shots that would have tied the game—both 3s—and Paul George missed a tying free throw.
“Just talking to our guys, we had I think 12 possessions in the fourth quarter to take the lead and we just couldn’t get over the hump,” coach Ty Lue said. “I mean, it happens. I’m really proud of the way our guys competed and fought all night. To hold this team to 34 points in the second half, they are a powerful offense.
“But our guys, I thought we competed. Couldn’t make shots. Thought we got — took it personal a few times and just kind of over-dribbled sometimes. But for the most part we competed, and that’s going to happen. But like I said, I’m proud of our guys, the way they competed and we’ve just got to make some shots. That’s it.”
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