NBA Refs Appeared to Miss Huge Call At End Of Celtics-Heat Game 6
NBA fans haven't even had 24 hours to digest the Boston Celtics' dramatic Game 6 triumph over the Miami Heat. But one thing is clear: The officiating we saw last night will be the subject of debate for years to come.
Firstly, and most notably: The game's officials appear to have botched a timekeeping decision that gave Boston just enough leeway to score the game-winning tip-in.
In the preceding play, in which Jimmy Butler was fouled on a three-point shot attempt, fans have accused refs of missing a double-dribble call. Take a look for yourselves.
Looking closely in the background, fans can see the Celtics' Jayson Tatum pantomiming the double-dribble signal as acted out by referees.
Whether Butler double-dribbed is more difficult to quantify than the referee's game clock blunder. The league's official rulebook states "A player may not dribble a second time after he has voluntarily ended his first dribble."
The addition of "voluntarily" allows officials some discretion, and leads to counter-arguments like the one outlined below.
Veteran analyst Tom Haberstroh broke down this critical sequence in a Twitter thread, building up to a macro point about the way in which NBA games are officiated.
"Is Al Horford's hand on Butler at 3.0 considered marginal contact (no foul)? I think so. Did Butler double-dribble? Is that reviewable? This gets to a larger point. My opinion: NBA should make referees available to reporters after a playoff game," Haberstroh posited.
He continued, "Last night, as far as I can tell, there was no pool report on officiating. No explanation...We didn't even get that."
Source: Athlon Sports
