Steven Mercado
By Steven Mercado
Robbed? That’s Not Right; Choke? That’s Right
“That could be a series-defining call. And that’s not right.”
These were some of the many words Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers had to say about the referees’ call late in Game 5 that ultimately led to a win for the Oklahoma City Thunder and boosted them to a 3-2 series lead.
The play in which Reggie Jackson lost the ball out of bounds after Matt Barnes slapped him in the wrist resulted in the officials giving the ball to Oklahoma City. This led up to Russell Westbrook sinking three clutch free throws to seal the victory for the Thunder. In a sense, the call did decide the result of the series after the Clippers fell to OKC in Game 6 last night.
But it was not the call that decided the series because it was the right call.
Fans and analysts have watched the play countless times. It is obvious that the ball touched Jackson’s hand last. It is also evident that Barnes fouled Jackson, but fouls cannot be called after the game comes to a halt. The following information means the ball should have belonged to the Clippers.
According to Rule 8, Section 2C of the NBA rulebook, “If a player has his hand in contact with the ball and an opponent hits the hand causing the ball to go out-of-bounds, the team whose player had his hand on the ball will retain possession.”
This should not be an issue anymore. In fact, Game 5 and the series was lost for the Los Angeles Clippers because they cannot perform at their highest level when they need it most.
In other words, they are choke artists.
With the roster that the Clippers have, there is no reason they should not be contenders. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA. Blake Griffin is one of the most dominant players in the league. Deandre Jordan led the NBA in rebounds per game and field goal percentage during the regular season and was also second in blocks per game. They have Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford and key role players like J.J. Redick and Matt Barnes.
In Game 5, the Clippers had a 13-point lead with 3:30 left in the game and they gave it up. In 2012, the Clips were swept by the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs at the fifth seed. They jumped to the fourth seed in the 2013 season and won the Pacific Division title for the first time in franchise history, but fell in the first round again in six games to the Grizzlies.
This year, the Clippers finally made it to the second round of the playoffs — the first time since 2006 — but they couldn’t hold on.
Even Chris Paul, one of the NBA’s best closers, folded under pressure. Late in Game 5, Paul attempted to squeeze past Westbrook and the sideline, realized he had no space, jumped for some odd reason and lost the ball, resulting in the controversial Jackson call. The next play, Paul hit Westbrook on the arm on a three-point attempt, was called for the foul and Westbrook sank all three foul shots. Lastly, Paul had the ball on the final possession for the win, he drove in and the ball was poked out from behind by Jackson to end the game.
Don’t blame the refs. Blame the Clippers. They had a great run, but the Thunder earned their way into the Conference Finals.
If you like what you read, follow me on Twitter: @stevenmercado9
Mercado will appear on next week’s “The Mid Valley Sports Show”
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