The NBA released its officiating report card for the last two minutes of Thursday’s Game 3 matchup between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors, and surprisingly, they say James Harden’s game-winning basket shouldn’t have counted.
Harden’s game-winner came with just under three seconds to play, with the Rockets trailing 96-95. The play looked clean, as Harden drove towards the Golden State net, used his arm to create space off of Andre Iguodala, and nailed the big shot from the free throw line. The NBA doesn’t see it the same way, commenting “Harden (HOU) initiates the contact with Iguodala (GSW) to create space and dislodges him from his legal guarding position”
Here’s the shot for reference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqhV_Q4Gl8E
Now, I understand the NBA’s argument. They’re saying Harden intentionally used his arm to create space, which should have been called an offensive foul. That’s somewhat true. Harden did use his arm to push off, but it wasn’t egregious. It’s something you see in basketball games all the time and referees are known to swallow their whistle in the final moments of a game. It’s a 50/50 call if that. Considering it’s James Harden (who gets the benefit of the whistle all the time) and it was so late in the game, it’s not an automatic foul. Don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely contact being made, but not enough to deem it an offensive foul, at least in my opinion.
The NBA’s announcement won’t change the outcome, but it will save face from fans upset that Harden got away with a push. Let’s be honest, the Rockets are going to be hard-pressed to win another game in the series, so the fact they might have gotten away with a call isn’t the biggest deal. But honestly, there’s been much, much worse fouls on game-winning shots that haven’t been called.
So whether the NBA thinks it’s a foul or not, Harden’s shot still counts as a game-winner. Let Houston fans have this one. Once Steph Curry returns, their playoff hopes are finished.
