Both missed calls benefited Portland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t seem too happy with the officiating after Sunday’s come-from-behind win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Ty Jerome was most vocal with his criticism. He went as far as saying the referees were “really bad” and singled out one official in particular for what he felt were poor calls.
Those complaints seem to have merit, at least in the close of the game. According to the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report, the officiating crew missed two crucial calls. Both of which went against Cleveland.
The first was an incorrect out-of-bounds call after a missed De’Andre Hunter three with just under two minutes left in the fourth. Anfernee Simons and Evan Mobley wrestled for the rebound before the ball went out of bounds. The officiating crew wrongly determined that it was off of Mobley instead of Simmons.
The second was much more impactful.
The Cavs should’ve closed the game out after Max Strus hit a triple to give them a three-point advantage with 16 seconds left in regulation.
Kenny Atkinson decided to play the intentional foul game with the advantage in hopes that they could ice it away at the line. That didn’t work as Darius Garland missed a free throw, which left the door open for Portland to tie or win the game on their final possession.
Simmons capitalized by sinking the game-tying free throws after he was fouled by Strus on a missed layup attempt during the closing seconds. However, Simmons shouldn’t have had a chance to win it at the line. The Last Two Minute Report confirms that the foul on Strus shouldn’t have been called.
Strus (CLE) attempts to obtain a legal guarding position in Simons’ (POR) path, but Simons is able to move around him during his driving shot attempt. Any contact that occurs on the play is marginal.
These incorrect calls didn’t end up deciding the outcome of the game like they could’ve. The Cavs were able to overcome both to win in overtime thanks to nine points from Hunter in the extra five minutes. That said, it wouldn’t have come down to overtime if Strus wasn’t wrongly called for a shooting foul.