SAN FRANCISCO _ Goran Dragic has made it practically an art form, the ability to draw three-shot fouls and sometimes even create opportunities for four-point plays.
Until this season, it was a play with considerable payoff.
Now, it's as if the veteran Miami Heat point guard has extra eyes on him.
Which he does.
On opposing benches.
And in the NBA Replay Center in Secaucus, N.J.
Sunday night, it's what proved to be one of the biggest turning points in the Heat's 115-109 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. Dragic apparently again earned his way to the foul line for three free throws at the end of the third period.
Until he didn't _ with Blazers guard Damian Lillard immediately imploring coach Terry Stotts to challenge the foul call under the one-year experimental program put in place this season.
"I saw that when that play happened, they put it right away on the jumbo screen," Dragic said, before the Heat turned their attention to Monday night's game against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. "Can they do that?"
As that video played, Stotts acquiesced to Lillard's request, with crew chief Ed Malloy then heading to his video monitor and eventually reversing the call to a foul on Dragic.
So instead of Dragic going to the line for three free throws with nine-tenths of a second to play in the third period and an opportunity to draw the Heat within 91-86, Lillard instead made two foul shots for an 93-83 Portland lead at the end of the quarter.
"After replay review, we saw that Damian Lillard got to the basketball _ it was a legal block," Malloy told a pool reporter. "While Lillard was going to jump to the side of Goran Dragic, Dragic extended his right leg, initiating the contact with Lillard. That is why it was successful."
But even then, Dragic was confused why Lillard was sent to the foul line, assuming his act was, at worst, an offensive foul, which does not lead to free throws.
"I thought they called a Flagrant 1 on me," Dragic said.
He was told it wasn't.
"OK," he asked, "so how is it an offensive foul? How is it free throws?"
The ruling was a loose-ball foul, which allowed for Lillard's free throws.
"By rule," Malloy explained, "when the defense deflects the ball, the status of the ball becomes loose. After the clean block by Lillard, the ball was loose. Then, Dragic extended his right leg, causing the illegal contact with Lillard. Therefore, it was a loose-ball foul."
The explanation left Dragic confused.
"I don't get that rule," he said. "I don't know."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra later would win a challenge of his own, on a play with 56.6 seconds to play and the Heat down 111-106. That's when Heat newcomer Jae Crowder was called for a foul that would have sent Lillard to the foul line for a pair of free throws. Instead, the Heat were awarded possession, with the play ruled a clean block by Crowder.
Neither of the calls overturned by Malloy were initially called by Malloy.
As for hunting for opportunities for three free throws or four-point plays, Dragic acknowledged he might have to be more judicious, although he said the play in question came in such a rush to get a shot off, it wasn't as if it was a planned approach.
"That was just a reaction play," he said. "When (Andre) Iguodala passed to me there was like two seconds left. I had to shoot it, rushed it."
