Upon further inspection, the Boston Celtics lost one second for their final play of Game 6 due to a clock error.
According to the Last Two Minute Report, the Boston Celtics were denied a pivotal second on the clock in their Game 6 loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday night. This is the aftermath of Kelly Oubre’s foul of Kelly Olynyk.
The report states:
"The foul is whistled with approximately 2.7 seconds on the clock, but the clock runs to 1.7 seconds before stopping. The clock should have been stopped earlier automatically on the whistle or by the neutral clock operator."
However, the NBA noted that “instant replay is not permitted in this situation” anyway. John Wall’s long three-point shot gave the Wizards a one-point lead over the Celtics with just 3.9 seconds remaining.
After Oubre’s foul, Isaiah Thomas only had 1.7 seconds to throw up an attempt. Thomas’s forced shot missed the basket, giving the Wizards a 92-91 victory. This win forced a Game 7 in this Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup.
The Celtics weren’t the only ones to be on the wrong side of bad calls in the final seconds. The league reported that Al Horford should have been ruled for an illegal screen on Bradley Beal with 41.2 seconds remaining. This offensive possession resulted in a corner two by Avery Bradley.
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In addition, Horford should have been ruled for a defensive three seconds with 33 seconds left. This would have led to a technical foul.vThese two infractions by Horford were the only two “incorrect non-calls” the referees made in the final two minutes, according to the NBA.
The Boston Celtics must win at home on Monday night to keep their playoff hopes alive. The winner will face the streaky Cleveland Cavaliers, who are coming off an easy series against the Toronto Raptors. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals will be played Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET.