A Spurious Night: Refs Aid San Antonio Rally, Rockets Fall to Spurs in Double OT, 135-133
Spurned by the Moment. The Play. Back to Business.
With scoring up more than ever before, NBA teams shouldn’t have to worry about points being taken away by the biases of officials. After Tuesday night’s fiasco and ensuing controversy, teams won’t have to worry anymore about their final score being tinkered by refs. Houston unfortunately were made to look the like losers on Tuesday night, and “lost” to the Spurs in double-overtime, 135-133. James Harden scored 50, Clint Capela had another 20/20 outing, and Russell Westbrook finished with a triple-double. Austin Rivers had a season-high 19 points, and was red-hot from deep during a stretch midway through the third quarter. None of these performances were talked about after the game. This was a contest marred by an incident that’s never been seen in the NBA, and due to all the controversy & negative light it sheds on the league, you’ll likely never see it again.
The play was simple. James Harden played the passing lane in transition defense brilliantly (one of the key aspects of his game that never gets talked about) and stole the basketball. The Beard then waited for San Antonio’s ball-boy to get out of the way, as the employee wasn’t anticipating the action returning to that side of the court immediately. Harden had an open lane to the basket, with no Spurs in sight. The Beard gathered his momentum as the ball boy struggled to get off the court, and then dunked the ball with such ferocity the ball went through the basket, all the way, and then due to the high speed, came back up through the net. There was no interference by Harden on the play. Simply put, it was a tenacious slam dunk, that rocked the rim so hard it came back out after going through. It’s a hard scenario to describe, video shows how awkward the play looks. Nonetheless, it’s a basket, or should have been. Unfortunately, for the integrity of the game, the refs decided to claim Harden missed the dunk, and refused to acknowledge their mistakes. It was only until after the game, when the officials admitted the basket should have counted. What makes this outcome and lack of accountability by referees so frustrating is this wasn’t a complex call. With video/replay (which the NBA has for a reason), this could have been corrected and fixed in two minutes. Instead, the refs ignored Mike D’Antoni’s request for a challenge (Houston still had their challenge that each team gets to use once during a game), and were eager to continue to aid the Spurs’ comeback rally.
Houston is officially protesting the call, claiming they want to be avoided the victory, or that the final 7:50 of the game (time controversy occurred) is replayed at a later date. Don’t expect the NBA to grant Houston any wishes. In a world where the Rockets are the NBA’s most-hated team, Houston needs to embrace the hate, and play with a chip on their shoulder. The Rockets got hosed, bad, and it cost them a game. But it’s just one regular season game, they’re still 62 left for Houston to win. Harden and company need to hope they don’t get more baskets taken away from them in the future. After the controversy this play ignited, with video evidence proving it’s obvious that the Beard’s basket should have counted, it’s unlikely the Rockets will be involved in this scenario again. Houston puts the ball in the hoop better than any team in the NBA. Anyone with logic has to admit it’s hard to win when the refs are literally taking away points. Especially in a double-overtime game. The Rockets just need to move on and forget about this one. Twenty games into the season, Houston’s almost at the quarter mark. There’s no time to dwell over NBA shenanigans. It’s time to get back to business. Houston’s been the better team the last three games, whether the score indicates it or not. The squad should be motivated, and obviously a little ticked off, heading into their next contest. Up next, the Rockets head north of the border to face the defending champion Toronto Raptors. The Raps have been much better than most anticipated before the season began. Houston is going to have to erase Tuesday night from their memories, and move on if they want to beat one of the best home teams in their gym. They won’t be given any favors, but after Tuesday, the Rockets shouldn’t have to worry about more points being taken away.