NBA rules error on no-call on Durant; Spoelstra to avoid fine for comments

DENVER — The NBA ruled Monday in its officiating Last Two Minute Report that Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant was indeed guilty of a discontinued dribble on the play that led to the winning points in Sunday’s victory over the Miami Heat at Oracle Arena.

Not that it offered afterthe-fact consolation to Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.

“Basically what I said is we disagreed. It just didn’t look right, it didn’t feel right,” Spoelstra said before his team faced the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center.

Per the league report: “Combining video evidence from multiple angles confirms that the ball does not make contact with Winslow’s (MIA) foot/shin and a discontinued dribble should have been called on Durant (GSW).”

Spoelstra stressed it was time to move forward.

“I walked out of that building with an L on our heads,” he said. “And, at the end of the day, you deserve it. And we’ll take accountability, the things that we could have done better.”

The decisive sequence in question began with the score tied, 118-118, with 23.7 seconds to play, when the Warriors played for a final shot, with Durant trying to get free with his dribble. He then briefly lost his dribble, with the ball rolling as the Warriors forward moved to regain possession.

Allowed to play on, Durant then hoisted an errant 3-pointer, with the rebound corralled by teammate DeMarcus Cousins. With the Warriors center fouled by Heat forward Justise Winslow on the play, Cousins converted two free throws with 5.4 seconds to close out the scoring.

“That’s the worst job in the league is to officiate, so I have empathy for how difficult that can be,” Spoelstra said. “But accountability all across, that’s what this league wants, that’s what this league is about.”

The Heat’s bid to match that score ended on an errant 3-point attempt by guard Dion Waiters with 2.3 seconds to play and then a failed bid by teammate Bam Adebayo to score on a follow-up attempt with two-tenths of a second remaining in what turned into the 120-118 loss.

A source confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that Spoelstra would not be fined for his Sunday postgame comments that included noting the Warriors attempting 26 free throws to the Heat’s eight.

Spoelstra said Monday he had not considered the possibility of a fine.

“I didn’t say anything inflammatory,” he said. “I’m allowed to say my piece about that. I didn’t cross the line, so I didn’t anticipate that I would be fined.”

After Sunday’s loss, Spoelstra emerged from the locker room and said, “Look, NBA, do not fine me. I’m allowed to say this. It ends up being 26 to 8. I know nobody wants to hear that, and that’s not why we lost.

“The officials, so let’s be clear about it, so I do not get fined, that’s not why we lost. But you hate to see 26 to 8 when our guys are going aggressively.”

Spoelstra said Monday that made it about more than the final two minutes.

“I understand the twominute report,” he said. “And I understand the accountability. We just want them to watch the game film and watch some of the things that we saw.”

The Heat also contended that forward Josh Richardson was knocked off balance on the play that instead resulted on Waiters’ final jumper.

The officiating report, however, noted a correct no-call, citing, “Thompson (GSW) does not appear to extend his leg unnaturally and there is no conclusive angle that shows foot contact while trailing Richardson (MIA). From broadcast, it appears that Richardson may trip over Adebayo’s (MIA) foot as he comes off the screen.”

Spoelstra said he reviewed all the video on the flight from Oakland to Denver.

“I was angry,” he said. “I went through things that we could have done better, regardless of how that went. That’s all.”

Wade impressed: While the lasting impression from Spoelstra after Sunday’s loss was the officiating, for Heat guard Dwyane Wade it was about the lineup the Warriors are now able to field.

Familiar with loaded lineups, including the ones the Heat fielded with himself, LeBron James and Chris Bosh during the team’s Big Three era, Wade said what Golden State is fielding is next level with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Durant, Draymond Green and this season’s addition of Cousins in the middle.

“It is as good as it gets,” Wade said. “I know DeMarcus is working his way back, but they play off each other very well. That is as good as it gets in our game and with any team that has ever played this game. That is as good as it gets with a starting five.

“That is why they are who they are. That is why they are champions and to be able to add a guy like DeMarcus to it. That is what great teams do, they add a piece and keep adding the right pieces to it and they have done it.”

End game: With Wade, 37, again solid with his contribution in his final visit to Oracle Arena amid his retirement season, some Warriors wondered why this is the end.

“I told him after the game, ‘Are you sure? I know you got a lot of stuff going on off the court with family and all that. Are you sure you don’t have a couple more years left in there?’ “Curry related. “Obviously with him going to every away arena one more time, it’s a different energy for sure.”

Wade and Curry exchanged jerseys after the game.

Durant offered a contrasting view.

“I think he’s invested so much into basketball, especially physically, that it’s just time to walk away and pursue what’s next in his life,” he said. “As a hooper from day one, I can appreciate that about D-Wade, especially battling him in the Finals [in 2012, while with the Oklahoma City Thunder] and throughout my whole career.

“It’s good to see guys go out the way they want to.”

New home: Dealt by the Heat at last week’s NBA trading deadline and then released by the Phoenix Suns, Wayne Ellington discussed with reporters his decision to sign with the Detroit Pistons.

“A lot of contending teams wanted me to come and give them that spark from behind the arc,” Ellington said. “Detroit was an amazing fit. A great fit for me. I have great relationships here with a few people within the organization already. It came together and we felt like this is the perfect place for me.”

Among the ties are his former agent, Arn Tellem, leading the Pistons’ front office and the son of Mark Bartelstein, his current agent, also working for Detroit.

Ellington ultimately opted for the opportunity for consistent playing time, something he often lacked this season with the Heat.

There also are a pair of upcoming games at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Heat, including the Heat’s next home game, Feb. 23.

Asked about that intriguing element, Ellington, who set a Heat record for 3-pointers last season, said, “extra intriguing.” He declined to elaborate, adding, “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Said Pistons coach Dwane Casey, “He is a bigtime 3-point shooter. You can always find a play for a guy like him.”