NBA fans furious over ‘rigged’ fourth-quarter call leading to Dallas Mavericks defeat
Fans were left raging by the officiating in Game 2 of the NBA Finals as the Boston Celtics benefitted from a controversial call in the final minute to move into a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks
(Image: Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Fans rushed to social media to claim the NBA Finals are “rigged” after a highly controversial call proved decisive as the Boston Celtics took a 2-0 lead over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Boston was up by five with 50 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 2, but Mavs big man P.J. Washington looked set to make it a one-score game as he eyed a dunk to complete a fastbreak started by Kyrie Irving. But as Washington closed in on the rim, both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White went up for the block.
White was able to bat the ball away, sending TD Garden wild as it all but confirmed the Celtics were heading into a two-game lead, but replays showed the 29-year-old made contact with Washington’s hand in the process of making the block.
ESPN announcers J.J. Redick and Mike Breen both said a foul should have been called on the broadcast as Boston claimed a 105-98 victory, overcoming a heroic performance from Mavs talisman Luka Doncic, who racked up 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists – becoming the first Mavs player to have a triple-double in NBA Finals history.
The Mavs face an almighty task to overturn the 2-0 deficit, with the series resuming at American Airlines Center on Wednesday.
“White slapped him across the hand. These refs rigged,” one fan said. Another added: “Home Cooking for the Celtics from the refs. If Brown was called for all the fouls he committed, he’d be gone in the 2nd quarter. It’s easy to outscore your opponent when the refs don’t call —-.”
A third said: “The NBA officiating is so bad that the only explanations are the league is rigged or the refs are incompetent. I’m not sure which is worse.”
Despite his heroics, which saw him become just the fourth player to record a 30-point triple-double in a finals loss, Doncic took the blame for his team’s defeat. He said: “I think my turnovers and my missed free throws cost us the game. So, I’ve got to do way better in those two categories. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to make shots to win the game.”
Head coach Jason Kidd, however, hailed the Slovenian’s performance and demanded his team protects the ball better as they vie to keep their hopes of hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy alive.
“He was great,” Kidd said. “No matter what he says, that’s just who he is. He’s a leader. It’s not all on him. It’s a team. We win as a team, and we lose as a team. So, he put us in a position. He was really good tonight. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get over the hump. I thought our defense was really, really good. We’ve just got to take care of the ball.”
News
“Mom’s Been Dying for Me To Sing This”: Emmy Russell continues to bring the audience to tears*
“Mom’s Been Dying for Me To Sing This”: Watch Loretta Lynn’s Granddaughter Wow With a Breathtaking Cover Although growing up with Loretta Lynn as her grandmother, Emmy Russell wanted to explore other careers in life other than music. Even with Lynn praising…
*Angel Reese makes history with a positive record only matched three times in NBA and WNBA in over 50 years
Reese leads the league in both total (374) and per game (12.9) rebounds Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) is seen during a WNBA basketball game We’re witnessing a historic season in the WNBA, starting from the draft, which became the most-watched in league history, attracting 2.4…
*Caitlin Clark’s trophy wardrobe has one more addition – A nomination she’s been looking forward to for weeks
Caitlin Clark adds a new accolade to her growing WNBA honors-A nomination she’s been expecting for weeks Caitlin Clark named WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Caitlin Clark became the second Fever to be named Player of the Week…
*Simone Biles Reveals How Healing Turned Her Into Gymnastics’ GOAT
Victim of Childhood Trauma, Simone Biles Reveals How Houston’s Healing Paved Way for G.O.A.T. Tour Houston turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Simone Biles. While she makes Olympic gymnastics look like a walk in the park, her early…
*Ben Affleck’s representative quickly spoke up about the shocking news that his client was in love with Kick Kennedy.
Ben Affleck responds to Kick Kennedy romance rumors Affleck was rumored to be dating Robert F Kennedy Jr’s daughter, 36, after splitting from Jennifer Lopez As rumors of a budding romance between Ben Affleck and Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy began to…
Fans ‘Can’t Recognize’ Gwen Stefani in New ‘Voice’ Trailer
Good Genes Or Good Docs? Fans React To Gwen Stefani’s ‘Unrecognizable’ Appearance In New ‘Voice’ Trailer: ‘She Aged Backwards’ A new promotional clip for the upcoming 26th season of The Voice was just shared on Instagram, featuring upcoming coaches Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg discussing their exciting…
End of content
No more pages to load