NBA says Game 6 referees got it right by adding the 0.9 seconds to the clock that allowed Celtics’ Derrick White to sink the buzzer beater… and admits the Heat got away with a foul late in defeat
- The NBA released a pair of fixes to late referee calls in Game 6
- The two sloppy calls benefited the Heat, who lost, not the Celtics
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
The NBA issued a pair of corrections to late referee calls in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but did not challenge the referees’ decision to add 0.9 seconds to the clock in Miami – a move that proved pivotal as the Celtics beat the Heat at the buzzer to force Monday’s Game 7 in Boston.
On Sunday, the league released its Last Two Minute report, which is a usual public review of officials’ performance at the end of games. The Game 6 report corrected two calls from the officiating team of James Williams, Zach Zarba and Josh Tiven – both of which benefited the Heat and not the Celtics.
The NBA found officials failed to catch a lane violation against Caleb Martin of the Heat on a free throw missed by Jaylen Brown of the Celtics with 1:01 left. Additionally, the officials neglected to call a foul on Miami’s Gabe Vincent on a missed layup by Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who should have been awarded two free throws with 33.5 seconds left.
More importantly, the NBA found that the officials were right to give Boston a full 3 seconds on their last possession, which ultimately won Boston the game.
“…the foul occurred at 3.0 seconds and adjusted the clock accordingly,” the league report read.
Referees James Williams (left), Zach Zarba and Josh Tiven (right) were right to add time, according to the NBA
Horford was whistled for a foul on Butler with 2.1 seconds left – but 0.9 seconds was added
The streak unfolded in the final moments of Game 3 with the Heat trailing 102-100.
Celtics center Al Horford was called for a foul on the Heat’s Jimmy Butler and the game was called off with 2.1 seconds remaining.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla disputed the foul, giving officials the opportunity to confirm Butler was indeed shooting a 3-pointer at the time of the foul, which occurred with 3.0 seconds remaining and not 2. 1.
Butler then made all free throws, giving Miami a 103-102 lead.
That 0.9-second difference proved crucial for Boston coming out of timeout. Extra time allowed incoming setter Derrick White to flip a missed 3-point attempt by Boston’s Marcus Smart, giving the Celtics a 104-103 victory.
Many Heat fans challenged officials’ decision to add 0.9 seconds to the clock on Saturday
Naturally, Heat fans disagree.
‘How did that turn out in 3 seconds?’ written on the fan. ‘The fault occurs at 2.5, the reds whistle afterwards. According to you, it’s at the moment of the whistle, not at the moment of the foul. The Heat won that game.
Other NBA fans argued that Butler ran away with a double dribble immediately before being fouled by Horford, but the league did not challenge arbitration in this case.
“Added 0.9 for double dribble,” one fan joked.
Now the Celtics will try to make history by beating the Heat in Game 7 on Monday night in Boston.
