Here’s a tweet that made me do a double take.
Kent Bazemore forgot to shoot a free throw and caused a bizarre officiating incident
Tim Hardaway Jr. got an and-one layup taken away because of this.
Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images
I don’t know Matt, and I’m sure he’s a trustworthy guy, but for a moment I was certain he must be a liar. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening in an NBA game ... but it did. I was certain he was exaggerating in some manner or another, but he wasn’t, and this was actually one of the most ridiculous officiating sequences I’ve ever seen. Here’s the gist of what happened.
- Kent Bazemore was fouled by Tim Hardaway Jr. while shooting a three-pointer.
- (Knicks fans will probably say that even the foul was a bad call. There wasn’t much contact, this is true.)
- Bazemore missed his first and second free throws, but he was supposed to shoot a third.
- Hardaway Jr. rebounded the missed second free throw. No one realized that the third free throw was not shot, so Hardaway Jr. took the ball the length of the court and scored an and-one shot.
- While Hardaway Jr. was taking his and-one free throw, it was realized that Bazemore didn’t take his third free throw.
- The referees decided to take away Hardaway Jr.’s basket, reset the clock to 3:49 when Bazemore took his first and second free throw, and rewarded him his third.
- Bazemore hit the third free throw, cutting the Knicks’ lead to 89-87.
Here’s video. (If you can’t see it, here’s a direct link.)
The play-by-play log ended up looking normal.
But the actual play definitely was not, as anyone who saw it could attest.
Here’s what the referees told a pool reporter after the game.
Q: Why did the play continue after Bazemore’s second free throw and why did Hardaway’s basket not count?
A: What was called was a 3-shot foul and not 2. So, played continued erroneously after two free throws, now we go down to the other end of the floor and we have a foul. Then it was brought to our attention that we should’ve shot one extra free throw. The rule under correctable errors is, do you want the citation? It says if there’s a merited free throw that was not shot, that was to remain in play, which was what our situation was, than if under 24 seconds have elapsed, we go back to the point of interruption, reset the game clock, and nullify all play that happens up until that point.
Q: What would happen if it happened after 25 seconds?
A: That play would count, the foul would count. We’d still go back and we’d correct the error but since it was over 24 seconds, we would play from where the foul happened. Since it was under 24, we nullify all play and we go back to the point of interruption.
Q: Where is it found in the rulebook?
A: Rule 2, section 6, Af.
Is there something that the referees could have done better? I think that once the mistake was made, no. But in a season that has been littered with mistakes and distrust between players and officials, that was a glaring one.
Bazemore ended up sinking the Knicks with this three (featuring terrible New York defense).
The loss drops New York four games back of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.
