This probably isn’t exactly what Toronto Raptors fans were expecting to hear.
Tuesday night’s 115-110 loss to the Golden State Warriors included several controversial calls late. The NBA’s official Last Two Minute Report was released Wednesday afternoon, and the NBA is standing by the call that drew the most ire, a late offensive foul against Kyle Lowry. They’re also saying that another foul should have been called on Lowry, while Steph Curry had a traveling violation go uncalled. Fans seemed certain following the game that the Raptors were on their way to a third “sorry, we messed up” of the young season, but the official report shows an even 1-1 score in referee errors.
Let’s unpack this play-by-play.
2:02 – Cory Joseph is called for a loose ball foul after appearing to cleanly strip the ball from Klay Thompson on an offensive rebounding opportunity. This call was not in the report, as it was just outside the last two minutes. The NBA ruled a similar Joseph foul against DeMarcus Cousins to have been called incorrectly Sunday, making this one even more irritating. It was clean.
1:30 – Steph Curry is not called for a travel, which the NBA is calling an “incorrect non-call,” a walk that gave him some additional space to hit a 10-footer. “[Observable in enhanced video] Curry (GSW) moves his pivot foot,” the report states. Check it out for yourself:
0:18.3 – Kyle Lowry is not called for an offensive foul fighting to screen Andre Iguodala. The NBA has deemed he should have been whistled, calling this an “incorrect non-call” and writing, “Lowry (TOR) grabs Iguodala’s (GSW) right arm and affects his ability to defend.” There’s no note made about the potentially illegal screen Lowry committed at the 45-second mark.
0:15.4 – Lowry is called for an offensive foul after appearing to hook Iguodala’s arm setting a screen for DeMar DeRozan. This is the play that had fans calling for a conspiracy. Personally, I thought it was an illegal screen but a tough call to make in this game scenario (although referees should call fouls by the rule, not situation). The NBA half agrees, saying this was, indeed, an illegal screen, calling it a “correct call.” “Lowry (TOR) clamps Iguodala’s (GSW) left arm as he sets the screen and affects his ability to defend,” they explain.
Refs make the decisive play of the game. pic.twitter.com/tApQLzWnrW
— Raptors Republic (@raptorsrepublic) November 18, 2015
I’m not sure if there were any other gripes, but the Curry travel and the earlier no-call on Lowry are the only incorrect calls the league has identified in the report.
As in all cases, blaming the referees for the outcome of a game based on a single possession is never a good look. Here’s what I wrote last night:
The NBA is not out to get the Raptors. Believe me, the fact that I likely have to write a third “NBA admits late officiating error” post tomorrow and it’s only mid-November annoys me, too. I also understand that my general refusal to get up in arms over officiating can sometimes make the reactions of those who are angry even worse. It’s not my intent. I just don’t engage in referee hand-wringing. I truly believe that if an objective person scoured over every game, they’d find that most games are called relatively evenly, or as close as is humanly possible given the constraints on officials. Our rooting interests color that, as do our cognitive biases. Calls made late in close games are the most recent, the most primary, and the most argumentative. They’re under a greater microscope and we care more about them, so of course it’s going to feel like the outcome of a single call is reflective of the entire game or season or league-wide agenda. But I think most games, including this one, are called pretty evenly.
I feel comfortable with that having re-watched the fourth quarter and reading the NBA’s official report. Sorry, fam.
