What the NBA’s Last Two Minutes Report Said About Controversial Pistons-Cavaliers Game 5 Ending

The Pistons and Cavaliers put on a great show on Wednesday night, as a pivotal Game 5 between the two playoff teams went into overtime. Detroit blew multiple big leads, including a nine-point advantage in the final three minutes, as James Harden and Donovan Mitchell hit shot after shot for Cleveland. The end result was a 3–2 series lead for the Cavs as the series heads back to Ohio thanks to a 117–113 OT victory.

The game was not, however, without its controversies. Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff railed against the officiating earlier in the series and found reason to do so again after a Game 5 in which his team shot 20 free throws compared to 38 from the opposing side. He took particular issue with a no-call at the end of regulation that might’ve cost Detroit the win.

With time winding down and the score tied at 103, Mitchell drove into the lane only to be stripped by Ausar Thompson in another brilliant defensive highlight from the second-year wing. Thompson chased after the loose ball with seconds remaining in the game, but got knocked over by Jarrett Allen. The referees opted not to blow a whistle, and time expired in regulation. Immediately afterwards, Bickerstaff was seen screaming that Allen tripped Thompson and it should’ve been a foul. Detroit was in the bonus at the time, so if a foul had been called, Thompson would’ve gone to the line with a chance to win the game.

“[Allen] fouled Ausar,” Bickerstaff said postgame. “It’s clear. He trips him when he’s going for a loose ball. End of game situation, that’s tough.”

Lead referee Tony Brothers was also asked about the call postgame. He said he didn’t believe a foul should be called because there was only “incidental contact” and neither player had possession of the ball.

A singularly impactful call like that will always be under a microscope. As such, there was great interest in what the NBA would say about it in the last two minutes report, in which the league declares what the refs got right and what they got wrong in the final stretch of a close game.

Late Thursday afternoon, that L2M report was released. Here’s what it said.

Last two minutes report for Pistons-Cavaliers Game 5

The L2M report cleared up several potential issues and ruled that the officials made the correct call in each instance during the last two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime.

The league made three determinations on the final sequence. First, the NBA ruled Mitchell did not travel on his way to the hoop before Thompson stripped him. The report also said that Thompson did not foul Mitchell when he stripped the ball from him. Finally, the league ruled that the non-call that caused the most controversy was correctly officiated.

The report says there was marginal contact between Thompson and Allen, as both legally stepped into the same spot while pursuing a loose ball, and that they both lost their balance due to incidental contact. It was the correct decision not to call a foul.

The full explanation:

Allen (CLE) and Thompson (DET) legally step to the same spot while pursuing the loose ball [before either player has possession], and both lose their balance from the marginal contact.

That will be cold comfort for Bickerstaff, who was furious about how the play was officiated.

Of the 36 calls or non-calls during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, the NBA deemed all were officiated correctly.

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