An official who worked Monday’s NBA playoff game between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder says an offensive foul should have been called.
It may become the most notorious shove in the history of the NBA playoffs: with just over 13 seconds to go and leading by one point, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters was looking to inbound a pass to one of his teammates while being guarded by San Antonio Spurs veteran Manu Ginobili.
What happened next has fans and the media buzzing as Waiters uses his elbow to get Ginobili away from him, which many feel was an offensive foul (at the least) and should have given the Spurs the ball:
Now, one of the officials who worked the game is saying that the call was incorrect on the court and there should have been a foul called on the Thunder, according to ESPN:
"“On the floor, we did not see a foul on the play,” lead referee Ken Mauer told a pool reporter. “However, upon review we realize and we agree we should have had an offensive foul on the play. It’s a play we’ve never seen before, ever. We should have had an offensive foul on the play.”"
The Spurs would end up getting the ball on the play but weren’t able to capitalize as the Thunder evened the series at one game a piece with the 98-97 win. For his part, Ginobili said he thought he was fouled, but wouldn’t go so far as to blame that one play for the loss:
"“It’s not that play that decided anything because we got the steal, we got a shot, we got an offensive rebound. I really don’t know. I’ve never seen a play like that. I don’t know what should have been called or if it should have been called anything. It doesn’t matter. It’s over. We’re not gonna be able to change it.”"
The two teams will have to wait until Friday to play Game Three of their Western Conference playoff series, which will be played in Oklahoma City. This latest play adds to the outcry against what many players (including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade) and fans have said has been questionable officiating during these playoffs.
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