The Indiana Pacers continued their impressive playoff run, achieving an improbable 120-119 victory over the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2. This dramatic win secured a 2-0 series lead as the series moves to Indiana. The Pacers pulled off a stunning comeback, trailing by seven points with only 48 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter before Tyrese Haliburton sealed the win with a decisive three-pointer from the top of the key.
While the Cavaliers certainly contributed to their own defeat with late-game errors, the NBA`s official Last Two Minute Report highlighted that two crucial missed calls by officials also played a role in aiding the Pacers` comeback.
According to the report, both missed calls were related to lane violations in the final minute of the game. Either of these violations, if called correctly, would have nullified a Pacers basket.
The first key non-call occurred when Pacers forward Pascal Siakam missed his second free-throw attempt with 48 seconds left. Indiana`s Aaron Nesmith crashed the boards from outside the three-point line, grabbing the rebound for a powerful put-back dunk that cut Cleveland`s lead to five points.
However, the league`s report stated that “multiple players enter the lane and cross the three-point line before the ball is released for the free throw.” Therefore, a double lane violation should have been called, resulting in a jump ball at midcourt and preventing Nesmith`s basket.
The second uncalled violation proved even more critical, happening on the play immediately preceding Tyrese Haliburton`s game-winning shot with just 12 seconds remaining. Haliburton intentionally missed a free throw, collected his own rebound, and then dribbled out to sink the decisive three-pointer that won the game.
The report indicates this sequence also involved a double lane violation. “Multiple players enter the lane and cross the three-point line before the ball is released for the free throw,” the report stated, adding that “the shooter steps over the plane of the free throw line before the ball touches the rim.”
Thus, both early lane entry by multiple players and Haliburton himself stepping over the line prematurely should have been called. The correct result, again, would have been a jump ball at midcourt instead of the game-winning play.
Understandably, this report is likely to anger Cavaliers fans, as correct calls in these instances could have significantly altered the game`s outcome. That being said, the report also acknowledges that lane violations occur frequently on NBA free throws and are often not called, particularly during tense, late-game situations in the playoffs. Furthermore, even if the jump balls had been awarded, there`s a possibility the Pacers could have won them anyway and still scored.
Ultimately, we will never know how things would have played out with different officiating, but it is disappointing to see such an exciting and epic postseason clash end with controversy surrounding the calls (or lack thereof).
Jasper Hawthorne