The Denver Nuggets led through a large portion of game one in Oklahoma City on Sunday. They even held a one point advantage with just over a minute to go before Kendrick Perkins tipped in a Russell Westbrook shot giving the Thunder the lead for good.
The problem is, Perkins’ shot shouldn’t have been allowed, as he made contact while the ball was clearly still over the cylinder. On Monday, the NBA came out and acknowledged the error.
“Kendrick Perkins was improperly credited with a basket that should have been ruled offensive basket interference with 1:05 remaining in last night’s game. Although a player is permitted to touch the net while the ball is in the cylinder above the rim, Perkins also touched the ball while it was still in the cylinder which is a violation and constitutes goaltending.”
That shot gave OKC a 102-101 lead. They added a few free throws and eventually won 107-103.
While there’s no guarantee that Denver would have won without that missed call, it definitely had an impact on the strategy and process of the final minute for both sides. And unfortunately, the league’s admission of the error gives little solace to the losing team. This is yet another example of why the NBA needs a challenge system similar to that in the NFL.
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