The Denver Nuggets got close but not close enough in the final minutes of Game 2 in the 111-108 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday.
What if it had been even closer if not for a missed call by officials?
The Heat were up 104-93 with less than five minutes to go when Jamal Murray drove to the hoop. He put up a shot and Bam Adebayo swatted it away. But you could hear the fans at Ball Arena furiously shouting. Why? Because they thought it was a goaltend with the ball coming down toward the hoop. It would have been two points for the Nuggets and perhaps an earlier start to their late rally.
But nope. It was a missed call and goaltending isn’t reviewable. Fans were mad:
Did Bam Adebayo and the Heat get away with goaltending on this block on Jamal Murray?
Good no-call or missed goaltend? 🤔pic.twitter.com/ilkAjLqIg3
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 5, 2023
1) This is NOT why Denver lost
2) Crew had a rough night both ways, but …3) I'm sorry you absolutely cannot cannot CAN NOT miss this call as an NBA ref. Aside from the ball obviously going down, any time a player reaches behind him like that you know it's 100% a goaltend pic.twitter.com/AIKKEIuNGn
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) June 5, 2023
That missed goaltend by the refs proved to be COSTLY. Nuggets should have been down 1 point with ball.
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) June 5, 2023
That missed goaltend by the refs proved to be COSTLY. Nuggets should have been down 1 point with ball.
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) June 5, 2023
This missed goaltend on Bam in the 4th quarter is the sole reason Denver lost the game pic.twitter.com/7s2iNW9dQR
— Gold Arrow Collector (@scoot_vs) June 5, 2023
That last two minute report is going to sting. Can't believe they missed that goaltend. I honestly though they were going to add the points at the timeout.
— Swipa (@SwipaCam) June 5, 2023
The end of this game might have played out differently if that goaltend was called correctly.
— Harrison Wind (@HarrisonWind) June 5, 2023
That goaltending no call was huge
— Evan Thorpe, Batmane (@EThorpe_) June 5, 2023
Goaltending should be reviewable.
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) June 5, 2023
Two points on the missed goaltending call. Three points when Butler clearly stepped out of bounds. The offensive foul on Jokic that wasn’t. Two balls out of bounds off the Heat that they got back. Some big swings for a game that was ultimately decided by three points. #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/mmQ1bEwCtK
— Domenic Padula (@DomPadulaEDGE) June 5, 2023
