The Dallas Mavericks took on the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, and one brutal mistake by their defense certainly caught the attention of the NBA world.
Dallas had a complete and utter meltdown defensively in the third quarter. With 1:56 remaining in the quarter, Dallas forgot which basket they were defending coming out of a timeout on a Warriors inbound.
This resulted in the easiest basket of the season when Warriors guard Jordan Poole passed to Kevon Looney for an open dunk.
The Mavericks came out of the timeout and weren't guarding the right side of the floor…
Don't see this very often 😂 pic.twitter.com/iNiCIwIqsV
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) March 23, 2023
It’s hard to defend this for even the most passionate Mavericks fans. Many took to social media to complete blast Dallas for a complete lack of awareness in the game.
The Mavericks defended the wrong end of the court 💀pic.twitter.com/x02013yCmZ
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 23, 2023
Mavericks forgot which side of the court they were guarding
This is an NBA game btw pic.twitter.com/wtrHfBNAnr
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 23, 2023
The Mavericks forgot to defend the correct side of the court… oh my god pic.twitter.com/7NXEKfNU7E
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) March 23, 2023
I present to you the dumbest moment in #NBA history.
The Mavericks just defended the *wrong basket* and the Warriors scored a 5 on 0 layup from the inbounds 🤦♂️🤣 pic.twitter.com/cpGDPIZjAY
— Mark Gottlieb (@MarkGottlieb) March 23, 2023
Buckets don't come much easier than this 💀pic.twitter.com/qmP9ZZjAaf
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) March 23, 2023
Mavs just decided to put their controllers down 😂pic.twitter.com/Gcl0E0gs4l
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) March 23, 2023
This would be a play that would come back to bite the Mavericks in the worst way possible. They played the Warriors extremely close all night but ultimately lost by two points after a three-point shot from Mavericks guard Reggie Bullock at the buzzer.
"The Golden State Warriors get a huge road victory."
"By two."Indeed, if you bet the Warriors (-3.5), you might need a hug right about now. pic.twitter.com/tRwAvO0E8c
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 23, 2023
You would be hard-pressed to see this horrible blunder come in any level of basketball. However, there may actually be somewhat of an explanation for the massive mistake.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban took to social media after the game to explain the situation. He detailed that the call on the play was initially Mavericks ball which was ultimately reversed. The change was then announced across the arena by the announcer, but officials did not notify the Mavericks of the change.
For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The ref called Mavs ball . The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout . During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as…
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) March 23, 2023
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon tweeted a pool report of the play after the game which includes Crew Chief Sean Wright’s explanation for the call.
He surprisingly detailed that the initial call on the floor was Golden State ball and not Dallas ball like most believed.
Pool report from Mavs-Warriors: pic.twitter.com/p0b1cOWq5V
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 23, 2023
You can be the judge, but it certainly appears that the initial call on the floor was Dallas ball when you look at the entire sequence.
For anyone who hasn't seen it, here's the odd sequence that led to the Warriors essentially two free points in Wednesday's game against the Mavericks. pic.twitter.com/5Y5339sAtU
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) March 23, 2023
Regardless of who is to blame between the officials and the Mavericks in this situation, it will be a hard blunder to live down for this Dallas team.
[The Comeback on Twitter] Photo Credit: ESPN
