NBA Admits Referees Missed Calls In Game Two Of NBA Finals

Photo © Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.

After a lot of controversy surrounding game two’s officiating, the NBA admitted that Zach Zarba, Scott Foster and Tony Brothers missed a few calls at the end of the fourth and in overtime.

Referees Missed Calls In Game Two

During the broadcast of game two, commentator Jeff Van Gundy stated, “I’ve never seen a star of [LeBron James’] caliber that doesn’t get the kind of call that other superstars get.” While this statement might be a little much, there were definitely missed calls. But it is more likely happening to LeBron because he handles the ball more often than most.

A point that was recently reiterated by ESPN’s Tim Legler: “Jeff [Van Gundy] has also said, rightfully so, [LeBron] is a very difficult player to officiate because of his size, strength and speed… His own strength works against him.”

Still, the fouls were not called during big time moments and the report emphasizes that. “I saw [the report]. I’m not going to talk about that, obviously,” Cavaliers’ David Blatt said. “The NBA is doing their work and their homework, and very qualified people are in charge of handling those issues. I’m going to let them handle it.”

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As for the major calls that the officiating report talks about, first Andre Iguodola made contact with LeBron James during overtime, which resulted in a shot clock violation. However, the report also stated that LeBron’s pivot during the play should have been a travel, which means both violations cancel each other out.

Less than a minute later, Draymond Green impacted James’ ability to jump during a jump ball; this resulted in James catching his own tip pass, which was a violation and Warriors ball. And finally, during the opening tip off in overtime, Green did the same thing against Tristan Thompson.

However, the game is in the past and the Cleveland Cavaliers somehow pulled out the win. “I know what happened throughout the course of the game, so nothing really goes through my mind,” James stated. “There’s nothing they can do about it at that point. It is what it is, and you just move on from it… I’m happy that we was able to come through with the win. That’s the only thing that matters.”

Game three kicks off at 9 pm EST on ABC.