The Los Angeles Clippers got a much needed home win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, 113-112.
Not without some controversy though.
The Wizards got the ball trailing by one with 1.2 seconds left and inbounded the ball to Bradley Beal, who made what appeared to be a game-winning shot, but after the buzzer as per the review. Except there was one additional factor in in the final moments of the game that was also clear upon review and probably in real-time, the clock started too early.
You can watch the play here:
https://twitter.com/NBCSWizards/status/939669288717299712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
It appears that 0.4 seconds went off the clock before Beal caught the ball which should have been when the clock started. After a bunch of hoopla and consideration, the officials gave the Wizards the ball back but with 1.1 seconds left. Very bizarre.
Here is what Bradley Beal has said about the referees contradictory explanation of the rule:
“Excuse my language because I’m going to say verbatim what they said,” Beal said. “They said it’s kind of a ‘some s*** rule,’ it’s a freak rule. To me, it didn’t really make sense because you take a basket away. You go back and he says we get the same amount of time, but we didn’t get the same amount of time and then we get the ball in the corner. It’s kind of the tough s*** rule. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it. We ran a great play and now that you take that away, we’ve gotta set up with a different play and they get a chance to set up and change some things. Now we’ve gotta do a different play with the ball in the corner.”
Here is what the NBA tweeted out about the rule and in response to different questions about the controversial decision in a Q&A format.
The following is a transcript of the pool reporter interview following the Wizards/Clippers game with NBA Crew Chief Bill Spooner by Todd Dybas of the Washington Times: pic.twitter.com/ijh2KP7B9t
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) December 10, 2017
That makes zero logical sense to me, first of all there was more than 0.1 seconds that ran off incorrectly and second of all it makes little sense to then only leave the team with 0.1 seconds left when being given the ball back, which obviously didn’t happen here anyway as the referees didn’t abide by the bizarre rule according to the tweet.
Beal and the Wizards have a legitimate gripe, but I am not convinced he would have gotten the shot off in the extra 0.4 seconds anyway, we’ll never know.
On the other hand, the Clippers will take whatever win they can get right now.
