Should there have been enough time for Derrick White to put up the Game 6-winning tip-in with 0.1 seconds left on the clock?
That’s the debate NBA fans — Miami Heat die-hards, mostly — are having on Sunday morning after the Boston Celtics miraculously escaped Saturday night’s contest with a win to force Game 7 on Monday in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Let’s rewind: With the Celtics up 102-100, Al Horford was whistled for a foul on Jimmy Butler. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla challenged the call and Butler ended up with three free throws instead of two since he was behind the arc when the foul occurred.
But — and here’s the more important part — the clock went from 2.1 seconds left after the foul to 3.0. Should it have been 2.9 seconds? Less?
That extra 0.1 seconds made all the difference. And Heat fans are MAD:
When Jimmy Butler was fouled on his 3-point attempt, there were 2.1 seconds remaining.
After review, the officials added 0.9 to the clock, and that ended up changing everything for the Heat and Celtics… pic.twitter.com/pnw39fVtjZ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 28, 2023
For everyone curious why the refs changed the clock from 2.1 to 3.0 after the Jimmy Butler foul, here’s how they came to the conclusion via the NBA Replay Center Feed:https://t.co/15sANteOlG pic.twitter.com/XjQmD46adT
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 28, 2023
@NBA how did this get turned into 3 seconds? Foul occurs at 2.5, red blows whistle after. According to you, it’s when the whistle is blown, not when foul occurs. The Heat won this game #BOSvsMIA pic.twitter.com/MPgIvtmSHa
— Sean Fryer (@seanfryer) May 28, 2023
If the refs put 2.9 seconds back on the clock instead of 3.0 seconds – the Heat are headed to the NBA Finals right now. https://t.co/MCnWzhvF7o
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) May 28, 2023
– Al fouled Jimmy with 2.8 seconds left.
– Refs hand started to go up at 2.5 seconds left.
– In another clip, refs whistle heard at 2.1 seconds left.
– Yet somehow they decided to put up 3 seconds.
And no, that is not a double dribble. #Heat #Celtics pic.twitter.com/Z1g7l4bWnp
— . (@_CoronaLime_) May 28, 2023
so White made the gamewinner while the ball left his hand at 0.1 seconds however the inbound shot clock was at 3.0 seconds yet the foul on Horford to make that inbound even happen was on 2.8 — NOW if we do the maths the gamewinner wouldn’t have even counted. #heat #Boston #nba pic.twitter.com/N9WaDMGUcJ
— Nadim (@Nadim2way3lvl) May 28, 2023
Look at slomo. Ball still in White’s hand at .2 sec. Foul on Horford is at 2.8 sec. NOT 3.0. Refs gave the #Celtics .2 extra seconds. Enough time for #White to get the shot off. #Rigged #Refs #Miami #Heat #Boston #Celtics #White @ShannonSharpe @RealSkipBayless @getnickwright pic.twitter.com/DY6HJDL0Ys
— joshua silva (@joshuas29170858) May 28, 2023
Here’s the moment of first contact on the shooting motion. It’s the earliest a shooting foul could have possibly occurred. 2.7 seconds on the TV clock, can’t make out the number on the official clock, but the first digit is definitely a 2. #Heat #Celtics pic.twitter.com/Uq51zIgM7d
— Brian Hart (@BrianHartPR) May 28, 2023
