The officials not only robbed Blake Griffin and the Clippers a victory against Dallas on Tuesday, but they denied basketball fans one of the most incredible finishes you’ll ever see.
After O.J. Mayo tied the game at 97 with a gorgeous baseline move, Clippers forward Matt Barnes — who was a standout football player in high school — fired a perfect length-of-the-court pass to Griffin near the free throw line. Griffin caught it then, knowing he only had 0.6 seconds on the clock, flips the ball over his head and banks it in on what appeared to be the game-winner. But referees waved off the basket and called Griffin for pushing off against Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki.
Did Dirk get a superstar call or what? See the play and judge for yourself:
“I haven’t gotten a chance to look at it but I don’t think I pushed off that much,” Griffin told TNT’s David Aldridge after the game.
When Aldridge asked if Nowitzki sold the call, Griffin replied: “I really wasn’t watching him. I was just looking at the flight of the ball and trying to make a shot. When I get a chance to look at the film we’ll see what happens.
It was the culmination of a frustrating night for Griffin, who didn’t see the ball much in the second half and shot just 4-for-12 for the game and finished with 14 points.
“Not taking anything away from them but I need to be more aggressive,” Griffin said.
Such a terrible call. Dirk was getting superstar calls all night and that was the worst offender. Clips and Blake were robbed. So irritated.