The dispute between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday ended controversially. Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was cautioned for an offensive foul on James Harden in what turned out to be a rescue game for the Nets.
The league has now released an official statement on the controversial decision and, as it turned out, the NBA is supporting the referees’ decision during the game. This report comes through Andrew Grief from the Los Angeles Times:
According to the NBA’s last 2 minutes report, this was considered a correct decision.
“Leonard (LAC) extends his arm in front of Harden (BKN) and displaces him from his defensive position.” https://t.co/n7y4ab8mmN
– Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) February 22, 2021
As you saw in the clip, there are two main angles that provide a clear view of the piece in question. Seen from behind, it looked like Harden flopped in the play. However, the bottom view of the basket also shows how Kawhi Leonard dodged Harden using his left arm. While there is no denying that there was some (or a lot, depending on where you are sitting) of staging by Harden, Leonard is not entirely clear here.
Regardless of what anyone and everyone might think about the move, the NBA decided that the offensive foul remains. That’s it, guys.
This was an important victory for the Nets without Kevin Durant, who now have six consecutive wins. They also brought down the mighty Clippers – for the second time this month – which is a huge victory for the mighty East team.
On the other hand, Sunday’s defeat was LA’s second loss in the last three games. The way they missed this one, though, is an undeniably difficult pill to swallow for any Clipper fan.
