The Indiana Pacers’ historic comeback in Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers was built on a pair blatantly missed lane violations, the NBA admitted Wednesday.
In its Last Two Minute report for the game, the league identified two plays in the final minute that should have been nullified and replaced with jump balls at midcourt, calling them incorrect no-calls.
The first play saw multiple lane violations committed on a free throw by Pacers forward Pascal Siakam with 48 seconds left. Among the players to jump early was wing Aaron Nesmith, who got the rebound and putback dunk to cut Cleveland’s lead to five.
Instead of two points for the Pacers, the league said Nesmith’s dunk shouldn’t have counted. The play in question also saw Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell end up on the floor in pain, though he later returned for a rough end to a 48-point night.
Most NBA fans can tell you what happened after that. Nesmith’s dunk was the first in a series of unfortunate events for the Cavaliers culminated in a game-winning 3-pointer by Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton with 1.1 seconds left, giving Indiana a 2-0 lead in a series that is now headed to its home court.
That 3-pointer came after the second set of missed lane violations, as Haliburton only got the ball after missing the second of two free throws with 11.2 seconds left. Again, the NBA noted multiple players jumped early — you can see four different Cavaliers with feet over the line at Haliburton’s release — but it also noted the shooter, Haliburton, stepped over the plane of the free throw line before the ball hit the rim.
Again, the league said play should have been stopped and a jump ball should have been held at midcourt, rather than allowing Haliburton to get the rebound and be the hero.
It’s worth noting that while the rules of lane violations are clearly lined out in the NBA rulebook, they are rarely called in actual game scenarios outside of the most blatant cases, especially in crunch time in the playoffs.
Fans are technically correct when they call out officials for missing lane violations, but it’s telling none of the Cavaliers complained about this stuff after the game, and it’s not like Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t have issues with the officiating. It’s just how the modern game is played, though it’s fair to say the NBA could be more vigilant overall to avoid situations like the one that played out Wednesday, in which officials must choose between following the letter of the rulebook or calling the game the way players expect.
Lane violations worked out in the Pacers’ favor in Game 2 against the Cavaliers. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
(Jason Miller via Getty Images)
The NBA noted one more missed call seconds before the Haliburton shot, as the league said Mitchell should have been called for defensive 3 seconds with 15 seconds left.
Suffice to say, you don’t erase a seven-point lead in 48 seconds without things getting weird. It’s been an absurd run for the Pacers so far this postseason, and now the Cavaliers need to win four out of five games just to make it to the Eastern Conference finals.
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