James Harden rose for an uncontested dunk. It went into the basket with nice downward pressure, as so a lot of his others have earlier than. Then got here an obvious violation of a few of the elementary legal guidelines of physics.
The ball handed by way of the ring, however then spun upward again to the highest of the rim, the place it bounced twice earlier than caroming away, giving the impression of a missed shot.
The ball clearly handed by way of the ring earlier than its odd levitation, however the ruling on the court docket was no basket, to the Rockets’ disbelief. Coach Mike D’Antoni protested and tried to problem the decision however was denied.
Each level mattered within the recreation, which went to double time beyond regulation earlier than the Spurs defeated Harden’s Rockets, 135-133, on Tuesday evening.
The blown name has now prompted requires the sport to be awarded to the Rockets, or to be replayed from the 7:50 mark of the fourth quarter, when the dunk was disallowed.
“When the play occurred, Harden goes in for a dunk, after which the ball seems to us to pop again by way of the online,” James Capers, one of many recreation’s referees, advised a pool reporter. “When that occurs, that’s basket interference. To have a profitable subject purpose, it should clear the online.”
However he added: “We’ve got since are available in right here and regarded on the play. He dunked it so exhausting that the online carried it again over the rim a second time, so in truth it did clear the online and will have been a profitable subject purpose.”
Capers mentioned the play couldn’t be reviewed as a result of the 30-second window for challenges handed whereas the Rockets protested.
“I heard that they mentioned the ball hit James and went again by way of, so it was a purpose have a tendency on James,” D’Antoni told reporters after the sport. “Then one other man mentioned it wasn’t a purpose have a tendency; it went out of bounds on us.”
The dunk and the controversy overshadowed a wild recreation. The Rockets have been up, 102-89, on the time of the dunk, but managed to lose that lead.
Bryn Forbes of the Spurs missed a possible game-winner on the finish of regulation, and Harden missed one on the finish of the primary time beyond regulation. The Spurs ended up profitable the sport on two free throws with no time left on the clock by Lonnie Walker.
Harden wound up with 50 (or 52, in the event you depend the dunk). Walker had 28 off the bench for the Spurs; his earlier profession excessive was 16. Dunk apart, it was not Harden’s greatest recreation; he shot .289 from the ground and four for 20 (.200) on 3-pointers.
The N.B.A. has by no means awarded a recreation outright to a shedding staff, a league supply mentioned; “it simply wouldn’t occur.”
[On Dec. 9, the N.B.A. said that it had disciplined the three officials who botched the call and its aftermath by not allowing the Rockets to challenge it, but that it was denying Houston’s protest. In a statement, Commissioner Adam Silver said the Rockets “had sufficient time to overcome the error during the remainder of the fourth quarter and two subsequent overtime periods, and thus the extraordinary remedy of granting a game protest was not warranted.”]
However ought to the N.B.A. determine to renew the sport from the second of the dangerous name, it will not be the primary time. In 2008, the Miami Warmth and Atlanta Hawks replayed the last 51 seconds of the time beyond regulation of a recreation as a result of Shaquille O’Neal was incorrectly fouled out. The Hawks gained the unique recreation by 6. They gained the replay by Three after neither staff scored some extent.
Oddly sufficient, O’Neal wasn’t round to play the seconds that he had mistakenly misplaced. Within the interim between video games, the Warmth had traded him away.