NBA officials have had a very rough go of things over the last few weeks and Wednesday’s matchup between the Mavericks and Warriors won’t change that.
This game could very well decide whether one of these two teams actually makes the playoffs or not. And what seems like a crucial call — or non-call — from the officials is right in the center of it.
That’s why Mark Cuban is so upset about what looked to be an officiating blunder that gifted the Warriors two free points at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Toward the end of the 3rd quarter, there was a sequence after a dead ball and a timeout where the Mavericks thought it was actually their ball. They lined up on the other end of the floor thinking the ball was advanced to their basket.
But officials ruled that the Warriors actually possessed the ball. They inbounded it underneath their own basket and Kevon Looney got two free points without any resistance.
Count it 😎
📺 @NBCSAuthentic pic.twitter.com/VibZ3CliZU
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 23, 2023
Mark Cuban was absolutely furious after this play. He called it the “worst officiating non-call mistake” in league history.
For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The ref called Mavs ball . The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout . During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as…
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) March 23, 2023
That’s probably a bit of hyperbole, especially since it’s not actually clear that the officiating crew actually got the call wrong. It actually just seems like the Mavericks weren’t paying much attention to the situation or the time.
Let’s dive into it.
So what actually happened here?
So the Warriors had possession of the ball, it gets tapped out of bounds. This is where all the confusion starts.
Here is video from @dieter of the lead-up to the alleged missed call that the Mavericks are reportedly protesting. Mark Cuban Tweeted out that it was initially called Mavs ball and then changed without notification, but it appears here to be Warriors ball. pic.twitter.com/yOBB732cs1
— Kylen Mills (@KylenMills) March 23, 2023
The official seemed to rule that it was Warriors’ ball. He points to Golden State’s side of the court as if it is. But then, he also points the other way, which is what’s confusing everyone.
So did he actually signal it was Mavericks ball?
At first glance, that’s what it sort of looks like. But if you pay close attention, there’s a timeout being called by the Mavericks. That’s what confused everyone.
You can even see Kevon Looney coming back to protest in confusion but the official explains that it’s still Warriors ball and points back toward Golden State’s basket with his thumb.
For anyone who hasn't seen it, here's the odd sequence that led to the Warriors essentially two free points in Wednesday's game against the Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/5Y5339sAtU
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 23, 2023
It’s still Warriors basketball.
Wow. What did the officials have to say about this?
Nothing much, honestly. Crew chief Sean Wright was interviewed for the official pool report and pointed out exactly what I outlined above.
He says it was Warriors’ ball, timeout Mavericks.
Pool report from Mavs-Warriors: pic.twitter.com/p0b1cOWq5V
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 23, 2023
“Initially on the floor the original signal was in fact Golden State ball as this can be seen on video. There is a second signal but that signal is for a mandatory timeout that was due to the Mavs.”
So that’s the officials’ explanation on the situation.
That actually makes sense.
It does. It’s exactly why the Mavericks shouldn’t waste their time with a protest here, as Mark Cuban is planning on doing. The video shows exactly what’s going on here.
Plus, on top of that, it’s inexplicable that the Mavericks were on the other end of the floor. This is why I said the team clearly did not know the situation or the time. This was an error on Dallas’ part and no one else’s.
Wait, why are you saying that?
Because there was really no reason for them to be at the other end of the floor anyway — even if Dallas thought it possessed the ball.
The ball only advances after timeouts in the 4th quarter and overtime.
If a timeout is charged to the offensive team during the last two minutes of the fourth period and/or last two minutes of any overtime period and (1) the ball is out-of-bounds in the backcourt (except for a suspension of play after the team had advanced the ball), or (2) after securing the ball from a rebound in the backcourt and prior to any advance of the ball, or (3) after the offensive team secures the ball from a change of possession in the backcourt and prior to any advance of the ball, the timeout should be granted. Upon resumption of play, the team granted the timeout shall have the option of putting the ball into play at the 28’ hash mark in the frontcourt or at the designated spot out-of-bounds.”
The Mavericks should’ve been on the correct end of the floor here, no matter what the circumstances were. It’s inexplicable that all 5 players were not.
Wow. So Dallas really has no ground to stand on here?
Not really. The only possible thing Dallas could argue is that the officials should’ve signaled that it was the Warriors’ ball when play resumed and they saw the Mavericks on the other side of the court.
Clearly, something was wrong. Instead of letting this ridiculous thing happen, it would’ve been nice of them to fix it. But that’s not the officials’ responsibility.
Dallas just needs to pay more attention.
