The Thunder were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in Game 6 on Friday night, but that may not have been the case if a foul were called on a pivotal possession late in the game.
Was Paul George fouled on his potential game-tying 3-pointer?
You be the judge.
OKC had a number of opportunities to tie the game up while trailing three with seconds counting down on the clock, but when Paul George pulled up for a deep three, he may have been clipped by Rudy Gobert. The NBA’s Last Two Minute Report ruled that officials made the correct no-call.
Judge for yourself with two angles of the play below:
George pump-faked, got Gobert into the air and from the looks of things, he didn’t initiate contact with the Jazz center. Instead, he embraced the contact as he rose for a three-pointer.
Playoff P was not sent to the line, and after a number of Thunder misses, the Jazz ended up winning, 96-91.
Billy Donovan addressed the play after the game. You guessed it: He thought it clearly a foul.
“[Gobert] clearly ran forward. He clearly banged into him... I don’t want to say it ended our season... but I would have liked Paul George at the FT line... Most people probably looking at it would say that should have been a foul.”
There’s no way to know if PG-13 goes to the line and drains all three free throws to tie things up. He only had five points on 2-of-16 shooting in OKC’s elimination game. Nothing was going his way, and the way his night was going, the free throws wouldn’t be either.
What do you think? Was Playoff P fouled on what could have been a game-tying and season-saving triple? Or was it just basketball?
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