Was it a foul, or not?

[KMBReferee]

Hello guys. Long time lurker to this board. HS Ref from NC.

I wanted to get your opinions on what was a very controversial call from last night's OKC Thunder/ Utah Jazz game:

NBA admits missed foul call in Oklahoma City Thunder-Utah Jazz game Tuesday night - ESPN

Regardless of whether you think it was a foul or not, IMO the NBA basically hung their refs out to dry on what was a very borderline judgement call.

I know NBA officiating is tough, but damn...how can you work in an environment where you're subject to be hung out to dry in a moment's notice for the toughest of calls (or no-calls)?

Anyway, thank you for your responses in advance.

[APG]

Personally I thought it was a foul when I saw it live and was surprised that it wasn't call. The Thunder also defended the possession before this play horribly leaving Deron Williams wide open but I regress. Missed call, it happens...I'm sure Tony Brothers wishes he could have that one back.

As far as the NBA coming out and saying it was a missed call, that's the nature of the beast in professional sports. Same thing happened during the playoffs last year in both the NBA and MLB. The NFL is also known to comment publicly on controversial rulings.

[Mark Padgett]

Here's how your linked story read:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The NBA announced Wednesday officials missed a foul in the final seconds of Utah's overtime victory over Oklahoma City the previous night.


Here's how the story should have read:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The NBA announced Wednesday officials missed 114 travel calls in Utah's overtime victory over Oklahoma City the previous night.

[grunewar]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Here's how the story should have read:

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The NBA announced Wednesday officials missed 114 travel calls in Utah's overtime victory over Oklahoma City the previous night.

C'mon Padgett......I've told you 1000 times not to exaggerate!

[bainsey]

Should it have been called a foul? Probably.

My questions are these: Would the NBA comment about a missed foul in the first quarter? If not, wouldn't those have been missed points that could affect the game's outcome?

If you're not going to comment about something that happened earlier in the game, then why do it at the end? To do otherwise is simply giving into emotion, and not sticking with consistency.

[APG]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Should it have been called a foul? Probably.

My questions are these: Would the NBA comment about a missed foul in the first quarter? If not, wouldn't those have been missed points that could affect the game's outcome?

If you're not going to comment about something that happened earlier in the game, then why do it at the end? To do otherwise is simply giving into emotion, and not sticking with consistency.

While as officials, the call early in the game is as important as the late one and we want to get every call correct no matter what, the simple reality is that to everyone else, this is simply not true unless it involves someone getting hurt/ejected. Of course a missed call in the 1st could result in missed points, but no one is going to remember that unlike a play like this. I'm not surprised to see the league offices comment on the play.

[Nevadaref]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Should it have been called a foul? Probably.

My questions are these: Would the NBA comment about a missed foul in the first quarter? If not, wouldn't those have been missed points that could affect the game's outcome?

If you're not going to comment about something that happened earlier in the game, then why do it at the end? To do otherwise is simply giving into emotion, and not sticking with consistency.

With a missed call in the 1st Q, the team has plenty of opportunities to overcome it. Even if they surrender or miss out on a couple of points early in the game, they can adjust how they play in the future action. They have the chance to tailor their strategy to the situation.

With a missed call right at the end of the game, the team will not have the ability to recover in future game action and if the play happens right at the buzzer, as this one did, they have no chance to employ any sort of strategy to deal with it.

That's why it's different.