The Golden State Warriors appear to be in complete control of the 2018 NBA Finals, taking a 2-0 lead and all kinds of momentum to Cleveland for Game 3 on Wednesday. Aside from the brilliance of the reigning champions, officiating has been one of the bigger story lines of the postseason and rumblings that occurred during the Western Conference Finals have carried over to the first two contests on the game’s biggest stage.
For one, the decision to overturn a block/charge call in Game 1 upset everyone on the Cavaliers side and, frankly, it was bizarre to say the least. While nothing quite that high-profile took place in an otherwise run-of-the-mill Game 2, one non-call drew a ton of ire during the third quarter, when LeBron James was effective tackled on the fast break.
LeBron was looking for a foul call here. pic.twitter.com/LN3wagWqH7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 4, 2018
Though it won’t ease anyone’s mind in Cleveland, the official Twitter account of NBA referees admitted after the fact that they made a mistake with that particular non-call.
We missed this one – it should have been a foul. The defensive player undercuts the offensive player, knocking him off balance. Unfortunately in this case the referee had a closed look at the point of contact. https://t.co/uiSqBvPvKV
— NBA Referees (@OfficialNBARefs) June 4, 2018
Instances like this one help to create groundswell for potential change in the future, including the possibility of a challenge flag that could be tested during Summer League action. Still, it brings no comfort to anyone living in the moment, as this particular mishap was costly for the Cavs at a time in which the margin was still in single-digits during the second half.
It will be very interesting to see what transpires from an officiating standpoint in Game 3, especially in front of what should be an electric crowd in Cleveland. Officials insisted they got the infamous block/charge reversal right in Game 1, which may be the case by the book even if rarely put into action, but to their credit they copped to this blown call after Game 2.
