Great shot
“Great shot by a great player” was how Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau described Andrew Wiggins’ game winner the other day. With 5.1 ticks left in the match and the Thunder up by one following a dramatic trey by Carmelo Anthony, the top pick in the 2014 draft took an inbounds pass from Taj Gibson and benefited from a solid pick by Karl-Anthony Towns to break free for a buzzer-beating attempt a step past the midcourt logo. The ball hit the board and found the bottom of the net, to the dismay of the 18,203 diehards who packed the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
To be sure, the fans protested not just because victory was snatched from the Thunder, who battled back from a deficit that once stood at 23 points and remained at 13 by the time the fourth quarter rolled around. It was also because they believed, as stalwarts of the blue and yellow did, that Wiggins’ heartbreaker came as a result of Towns’ illegal screen that leveled defender Paul George. Complaints were directed at the officials in the aftermath, with the sentiments lingering in the locker room of the hosts. Yesterday, the National Basketball Association validated the Thunder’s claims. In its Last Two Minute Report for the set-to, the League Operations team noted that “Towns establishes a screening position in George’s path before the contact and he absorbs the contact when it occurs. However, his stance is wide and contact occurs to his leg area, which makes the screen illegal.” In short, he stuck his leg out, a foul that should have been called and would likely have cemented the Timberwolves’ defeat.
Parenthetically, the NBA likewise called attention to another non-call prior to the fateful play. “After the made shot, with no timeouts remaining for either team, Thibodeau can be seen quickly signaling a timeout behind the back of the slot official and then immediately waving his players up the court,” it said. “By the time the referee is in a position to notice Thibodeau, he is not signaling a timeout and play moves up the court.” Which is not to say the men in gray, and particularly Gary Zielinski, erred; pro hoops annals are littered with examples of coaches signaling timeouts that aren’t noticed by the referees. Rather, the league simply wanted to cite an instance that could have materially affected the outcome of the contest; it’s why no “Review Decision” was reflected in the comment.
In any case, the Thunder have moved on. As bench tactician Billy Donovan argued, “people want to point fingers at why things happen all the time instead of saying ‘Okay, how did I contribute to that?” Echoed George, “the officials are human like we are. They make mistakes. Like we turn the ball over. It’s part of the game. Give Wiggins credit for making a big shot.”
COURTSIDE ANTHONY L. CUAYCONG The Thunder have moved on. As bench tactician Billy Donovan argued, “people want to point fingers at why things happen all the time instead of saying ‘Okay, how did I contribute to that?” Echoed George, “the officials are human like we are. They make mistakes. Like we turn the ball over. It’s part of the game. Give Wiggins credit for making a big shot.”