Following their NBA Finals Game 5 defeat to the Miami Heat, the LA Lakers took issue with two critical refereeing decisions in the final quarter of the game that provided Miami with the scoring opportunities they needed to seal the win. After conducting a customary review as is the case with all close games, the NBA confirmed that the match officials made the correct calls on both occasions.
The first disputed incident occurred when there were 46.7 seconds left on the clock. In this instance, Markieff Morris was charged with hitting Miami’s Jimmy Butler’s arm, causing the Heat star to miss his shot and bump into a video board behind the baseline. Following this foul, Butler converted both of his free throws.
The second disputed play, which occurred with 16.8 seconds left on the clock, saw Anthony Davis penalized for jumping into Jimmy Butler and consequently initiating contact. This yet again resulted in the Heat receiving a pair of free throws, both of which Butler scored.
Intriguingly, there were two other calls that the NBA did find the referees to be guilty of missing, however, both of which should have been awarded in favor of the Lakers. Ultimately, neither of these calls made much difference, as the Miami Heat put just enough daylight between themselves and the Lakers to hold on for an agonizingly close 108-111 victory.
