Victor Oladipo struggled mightily (again) last night, but his final miss on the box score should've actually been a make.
Pacers' fans have spent most of today discussing a non-goaltending call on LeBron James in the final minute in which he blocked Oladipo's layup attempt, but did so after it appeared to touch the backboard.
Here, take a closer look:
LeBron's block would violate point #3 of the NBA's goaltending rule, which is as follows:
While he did hit a three to win the game (and 3 > 2, obviously), the Pacers being up two with a handful of seconds left could have changed LeBron's and Cleveland's approach to that last possession - as many people in my Twitter mentions said. Could LeBron have still taken a three? Of course. He did so in a tie game when all the Cavs needed were two points to win. However, he just as easily could've attacked the rim and put the Pacers in a worst-case-scenario overtime situation. We'll never know.
Regardless, it was a brutal way for the Pacers to lose a game that they once again had an opportunity to win.