Crucial Refereeing Errors Impact Warriors' Late Playoff Victory Against Grizzlies
An analysis reveals that the NBA officials missed significant calls in the final moments of the Warriors' play-in game against the Grizzlies, potentially altering the game's outcome.
As competitive as the Golden State Warriors 121-116 play-in victory over the Memphis Grizzlies was, the end was marred by significant officiating errors. The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report disclosed that officials made four crucial incorrect calls in the dying moments of the game, raising questions about the game’s integrity.
The Warriors seemed to have secured their victory when Stephen Curry landed a pivotal three-pointer with a minute remaining, pushing them ahead 117-111. However, the match took a wild turn as the Grizzlies managed to pull back five points without reply, narrowing the gap to just one with 14 seconds left. Following four successful free throws from Curry and a critical five-second violation by the Grizzlies, the Warriors clinched the No. 7 seed and their first-round playoff matchup against the No. 2 Houston Rockets.
Given the NBA’s report, the Grizzlies could rightly argue for a reconsideration of their playoff placement.
Let’s review the four missed calls:
1:29 - Draymond fouls Pippen
As the Grizzlies trailed by five with less than 90 seconds to go, Scotty Pippen Jr. drove to the basket but lost control before attempting a desperate shot. The report confirms that Draymond Green made illegal contact with Pippen’s wrist which should have been called as a foul.
1:28 - Edey’s goaltending
The tip dunk by Zach Edey that brought the Warriors’ lead down to three should not have counted due to goaltending. The report clarified that Edey interfered while the ball was in the cylinder above the rim.
0:37 - Clean block by Podziemski
In a critical play, Podziemski’s perfectly timed block on Pippen Jr. was ruled a foul, resulting in free throws. The report noted that Podziemski made contact with the ball, meaning the foul call was erroneous.
0:07 - Ball awarded incorrectly
When Ja Morant attempted to foul Curry late in the game, possession was awarded to the Warriors instead of the Grizzlies. The report stated that Morant knocked the ball out by making contact, which was incorrectly ruled a Warriors possession.
Ultimately, while both teams faced controversial decisions, proper officiating may have led to a different game outcome.
