The viewers following the basketball league NBA were wondering why Kevin Durant’s foul on Lauri Markkaseen at the end of the second overtime was overturned after video reviews.
Having scored 38 points and grabbed no less than 17 rebounds for the Utah Jazz Lauri Markkanen an incredible basketball game against the Phoenix Suns ended early on Monday, Finnish time, with a 137–140 loss after two overtimes.
Phoenix’s coaching challenged a situation where Markkase would have had the opportunity to take the match to the third overtime with three successful free throws.
For Kevin Durant the originally ruled foul was overturned after an exceptionally long review from the Replay Center in New York, and Utah was denied a chance to tie the game. The decision stunned the basketball community.
Regularly reporting on Utah Jazz NBA games Sarah Todd asked the foreperson who made the judge’s decision after the verdict that caused an uproar Zach Zarban reasons for revoking the decision and for itwhy didn’t Durant foul Markkas in the situation according to Replay Center.
– In our opinion, there was clear and convincing evidence that Durant made the first save according to the rules, Zarba commented on the situation.
Durant had contact with Markkanen’s body with his right hand before the save, and in addition to that, the Phoenix player clearly hit the arm of Markkanen’s throwing hand. To top it all off, after the save, Durant landed on the Finn’s “leg space” in a way that caused a clear risk of injury.
– We looked at those things as well. However, we had clear and convincing evidence that Durant got the ball first, and that was the most crucial thing in this case. After that, the other events seen in the situation were, in our opinion, marginal issues, explained Zarba, who acted as the evening’s referee boss.
In the NBA’s official report of the last two minutes of the game it was stated that Durant’s contact with Markkanen’s hand came as a result of a blocking move and it was just a “coincidence”. Markkanen was deemed to have made contact with Durant with a small kicking movement of his leg, and it happened at the moment when time had already run out on the game clock.
Court reporter for the Utah Jazz Andy Larsen hinted after the match that the NBA favors superstars in the league in his whistles, and after the match, he pointedly wrote on social media that if the names had been the other way around, i.e. Markkanen had been blocking Durant in the same way, then the verdict would have been completely different.
Two-time NBA champion, three-time Olympic champion and multiple NBA basketball king Kevin Durant noted Larsen’s claims on his own social media account.
– I think we will never know.