Game 3 between the Bucks and Celtics came all the way down to the final play, where Al Horford's tip-in attempt to tie the game and force overtime was released after the buzzer as Milwaukee came away with the win.
WHAT AN ENDING 😱 pic.twitter.com/MU0IueIZSr
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 7, 2022
However, there was plenty of controversy leading up to that moment, leaving fans calling for the game's "Last Two Minute Report" to see what the referees got correct or incorrect.
On Sunday, the Last Two Minute Report from Game 3 was released, revealing that there were five incorrect no-calls in the final two minutes of the game.
Three went in the Celtics' favor, while two went in the Bucks' favor.
Find all five of the incorrect calls below:
- 1:54.1 – Incorrect non-call (personal foul): Antetokounmpo grabs Horford and affects his freedom of movement as he is trying to advance up the court.
- 1:26.6 – Incorrect non-call (shooting foul): After initially making contact with the ball, Brown makes contact to Antetokounmpo's arm that affects his shot attempt near the rim.
- 0:50.0 – Incorrect non-call (5 second violation): Holiday does not release the throw-in within five seconds.
- 0:26.1 – Incorrect non-call (defensive 3 seconds): Horford is in the paint for longer than three seconds without imminently actively guarding an opponent.
- 0:15.2 – Incorrect non-call (personal foul): As Tatum is falling to the floor, he grabs Holiday's arm and causes him to lose control of his dribble.
MORE: How Antetokounmpo broke through the Celtics' impenetrable defense in Game 3
As you'll likely notice right away, Jrue Holiday's foul on Marcus Smart on the final possession of the game is not listed, as the NBA ruled the non-shooting foul as the correct call.
That was by far the most controversial play of the game, as Smart was attempting a potential game-tying 3-pointer when Holiday fouled him, but the refs ruled the foul on the floor. As a result, Smart was given two free throws — not three — leaving the Celtics in need of an intentional missed free throw to try and tie the game at the buzzer.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 7, 2022
After the game, Smart, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka and Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer all weighed in with their opinions on what was eventually ruled as the correct call.
"It was a foul. He caught the ball, he was turning into his shot with both feet set. You can't say that's a sweep going into a shot," Udoka said clearly in his postgame press conference.
"Poor no call. ... Bad missed call."
Smart, naturally, agreed with his head coach.
"We need 3 with 4.6 seconds. They know we need 3. We know they're gonna foul. And it's not like he got me when it was down low – I was already in my shooting motion," Smart said bluntly. "I thought it was three free throws – it wasn't – we deal with it.
"I was just going for the 3. We needed 3. I was shooting it regardless," Smart continued. "... It wouldn't make sense to do a rip-through move on the 3-point line when you got a clear shot for 3 when you're down 3."
On the flip side, Bucks coach Budenholzer thought the referees got it right.
"Marcus Smart tried to do the Durant sweep through thing and we were fortunate that it was two free throws but we were not trying to foul him," Budenholzer said.
The correct call – as ruled by the NBA's Last Two Minute report – has the Bucks leading the series 2-1 as they get set to host the Celtics for Game 4 in Milwaukee on Monday, May 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
