CLEVELAND _ LeBron James didn't agree. But replays showed his block on Victor Oladipo's driving reverse layup with 3.3 seconds remaining in the Cavaliers 98-95 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday might have been a goaltend.
The Pacers didn't know it until they got into the locker room at Quicken Loans Arena and saw the video, which showed the ball appearing to hit the glass before James got a hand on it.
Because there was no whistle, it could not be reviewed.
Oladipo complained to the officials, asking for a foul call because at the time he wasn't aware of what had happened. But he didn't hesitate to say how he felt about the apparent error at the postgame podium.
"Felt like I even got grabbed on the way to the rim," he said. "Tried to shoot a layup. Hit the backboard. Then he blocked it. Replays, I guess you guys can see, it was a tough play at the time for him, but, it was a goaltend."
The NBA agrees with Oladipo on the goaltend but not the foul.
The Last Two Minute Report that came out Thursday said goaltending should have been called. It also said the ball was incorrectly awarded to the Pacers when Thaddeus Young deflected the ball away from James with 27.6 seconds left, setting up Oladipo's drive. It did not say that Oladipo was fouled.
After a Cavs' timeout, Jeff Green inbounded the ball to James, who made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Cavs a 3-2 edge in the first-round series. Game 6 is set for 8 p.m. Friday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse as the Cavs go for the closeout.
"It's hard to even speak on it. It just sucks, honestly. It really sucks," Oladipo said. "Even though we fought our way back, we tied the game up. That layup was huge. I mean, give him credit where credit was due. The 3 was big time, huge.
"But who's to say they even run that play? You don't know what happens. So it's unfortunate. It really sucks that they missed that. We can't do anything about it. And then he made a tough shot _ fading away on a 3, going left. That's why he's such a good player."
James saw the controversial play differently.
"I definitely thought it was a goaltend," James said facetiously. "Of course, I didn't think it was a goaltend. I try to make plays like that all the time and I mean he made a heck of a move. Got me leaning right and he went left and I just tried to use my recovery speed and get back up there and make a play on the ball and I was able to make a play."
