Story By: Sol Tucker
Photos By: Sol Tucker
Washington, D.C–
Over the past 22 years, I have seen quite a few basketball games. If you count ones were I was not working in a professional capacity, then lots of games in Washington history and tonight this has to rank pretty high on one of the worst no call endings I have seen to date. Plain and simple, the NBA officiating is at an all time low. No calls run rampant… certain players get the calls and others just not.. That’s life in the NBA.
Besides the end of the game going against the Wizards, there were so many opportunities to put this game away right after the half, yet they let the Love and company just hang around.
The Cavaliers rallied from a 16-point deficit and withstood one last Wizards push to open the J.B Bickerstaff era with a gutty 113-108 win. This wouldn’t be the first time the Wizards lost a game because of a Bickerstaff, but in his debut.. not a good look guys. Good for them, bad for Scott Brooks.
Cleveland’s Collin Sexton wrestled with Thomas Bryant late in the fourth quarter, getting on the boards in what ended up being a critical possession that ended with a Wizards miss. Sexton also helped pester Bradley Beal at times throughout the game, hoping to wear him down and take away his legs, so the Eastern Conference’s leading scorer over the last month couldn’t erupt like the previous meeting. Beal finished with 26 points Friday night, but was just 9-of-28 from the field and 1-of-10 from 3-point range.
“I didn’t get the call at the end. There was no doubt at least one foul during that last series of plays we had,” said Beal. We just have to stay focused on the next few games and go to Chicago on Sunday and get one back quickly.
Washington has a tough few days with the road game on Sunday and then back Monday night to face Giannis and company. Should they lose both of these games, playoff hopes will diminish very quickly and could be gone by the end of next week with that upcoming road trip.
