A basket interference call on DeAndre Jordan took away the Clippers’ lead against the Spurs in Game 5 of their Western Conference playoff series, helping San Antonio win the game, likely the series, and potentially changing the course of NBA history in the process!
Exaggeration? Possibly a slight amount, but the importance of the call cannot be understated.
The Clippers were down 108-107 to the Spurs with 6.9 seconds left when they inbounded the ball to Blake Griffin, who lofted a floater in the lane. The ball was going in and probably was going to fall to give the team a 109-108 lead, but Jordan touched it while it was in the cylinder. The result was a basket interference (offensive goaltending) call that erased the bucket. The Spurs then got fouled, made 1-of-2 free throws, and grabbed an offensive rebound that sealed the game.
The game was there for the taking for the Clippers, and they blew it. But after what happened last time with Jordan, at least the team should be happy that he was aggressive.
UCLA guard Bryce Alford, whose team beat SMU in the NCAA Tournament with the help of a similar call, sent a funny tweet after seeing that:
Wow goaltending! Never seen that before…
— Bryce Alford (@balford20) April 29, 2015
Jordan was down on himself after the play.
“It was a dumb ass play,” Jordan said after the game via Pro Basketball Talk’s Kurt Helin.
Here’s more evidence that the ball was going in:
Compare frame 1 to 2. The ball bounces off the rim and starts to go in. pic.twitter.com/uzIhHCKpar
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) April 29, 2015
