NBA Finals: Game 1 Durant End of Game Drive/Shot

[APG]

This is the play people have been talking about at the end of game 1 last night.



Decided to make a new thread as this should garner more discussion since the other topic title wasn't clear.

Couple of points...Steve Javie, when asked about it on SportsCenter last night, said it was a foul (and I agree). He also talked about Tom Washington's positioning at the lead on the play and how he should have closed down.

[ODog]

These were my thoughts last night ...

Live: "Didn't look like much."

Replay: "Oh wow, he hooked him!"

I guess, in hindsight, I'm with Javie on the fact that closing down would've resulted in Washington seeing the shenanigans, but this whole thing went down in about 1.1 seconds, so I've got no issue with the no-call there, if only because we've all been in this spot before and know what it likely looked like without the benefit of replay -- not much.

[APG]

Also, any thoughts on the possible loose ball foul by LeBron on Westbrook on the rebound?

[JRutledge]

I do not have a foul here. If I have to look at slow motion replay to say there is a foul, then it was not a foul.

Durant was not unable to do anything he wanted to do while throwing up a fade away shot. It would only be a foul for me if he was prevented from shooting a clean shot. He was able to rise with both arms under control. Whatever contact took place was minimal or insignificant IMO.

Peace

[canuckrefguy]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I do not have a foul here. If I have to look at slow motion replay to say there is a foul, then it was not a foul.

Durant was not unable to do anything he wanted to do while throwing up a fade away shot. It would only be a foul for me if he was prevented from shooting a clean shot. He was able to rise with both arms under control. Whatever contact took place was minimal or insignificant IMO.

Peace

My thoughts as well - I believe the NBA guys go by the idea that if the "guy in the 50th row" can't see the foul, you probably shouldn't be making that call. Nothing prevented Durant from getting a clean shot away.

[Camron Rust]

Originally Posted by canuckrefguy

My thoughts as well - I believe the NBA guys go by the idea that if the "guy in the 50th row" can't see the foul, you probably shouldn't be making that call. Nothing prevented Durant from getting a clean shot away.

Is that the 50th row on the sideline or the endline?

You really shouldn't miss the ones the guy in the 50th row can see...but any official with a backbone will call a foul that deserves to be called when he sees it even if it means he is the only one to have seen it.

Once, I had a coach quite vigorously disagree with a foul I called. He called me a couple days later (on an unrelated topic) but brought up the play and aplogiezed. He watch the film and then saw the foul. Not every foul is obvious all the time form every angle.

[BktBallRef]

Originally Posted by AllPurposeGamer

Couple of points...Steve Javie, when asked about it on SportsCenter last night, said it was a foul (and I agree). He also talked about Tom Washington's positioning at the lead on the play and how he should have closed down.

I agree it was a foul.

Also, it was Game 2, not Game 1.

[APG]

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

I agree it was a foul.

Also, it was Game 2, not Game 1.

Shut up!