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It’s cold comfort now, a day and a half after Stephen Curry’s game-ending dagger lifted the Golden State Warriors to a 122-120 victory over the Mavs at the American Airlines Center on Tuesday night, but the NBA has ruled that the Jermaine O’Neal “block” that set the stage for Curry’s heroics wasn’t a block at all.
“Upon review at the league office, we have found that a shot taken by Dallas’ Monta Ellis with 16.0 seconds remaining in overtime was on the way down when initially contacted and ruled a block by Golden State’s Jermaine O’Neal, and should have been ruled a goaltend,” the NBA said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon. “The exact trajectory of the ball when touched was impossible to ascertain with the naked eye, and the play was not reviewable.”
Maybe for the refs, but it wasn’t impossible for the 20,423 pairs of naked eyes at the AAC to ascertain. The boos came swift and loud, even before the no-call was replayed ad nauseum on the Jumbotron.
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With seven games to go, the Mavs are in a three-way tie for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
(h/t Sports Illustrated)
Send your story tips to the author, Eric Nicholson.
