Celtics-Mavericks: NBA considered decision not to give foul to Marcus Smart

Luka Doncic’s phase with Marcus Smart at 4.9” late in the game at TD Garden sparked a lot of discussion. But the bottom line was that Jason Kidd’s challenge proved a lifeline for the Dallas Mavericks, who clinched the win over the Boston Celtics.

The so-called “high-five rule” was the one the Dallas coach “stepped” on to proceed with the decision of the challenge, with the game’s umpires accepting it – after considering the immediate replay – and reversing the original decision for a foul and three shots on the Boston Guard.

A day after the game and the phase discussed, the NBA came to confirm the correctness of the referees’ decision after examining the phase. In the “Last Two Minute Report” of the TD Garden match (ss: the NBA proceeds to an appropriate analysis of each disputed phase for the last two minutes of the games), the NBA indicates that there was no violation.

To be precise, the explanation is that “Luka Doncic has an accidental contact high-five with Marcus Smart’s hand after delivering the ball into the shot he was attempting“.

Somehow, the issue has been closed – and formally so – by the NBA, which proves at every turn that transparency is the alpha and omega of the league.