If it weren’t for the officials, the Chicago Bulls would likely be a .500 team right now. Okay, maybe not, but it sure feels that way!
The latest L2M Report from the NBA states that DeMar DeRozan should have received free throws after his game-winning attempts against the Cavaliers on Saturday night. According to the refs’ review process, Caris LeVert made contact with DeRozan’s left arm which affected his release.
This was the only missed call in the final two minutes of action.
In case you missed the final shot, here’s what it looked like:
I still think the Bulls could have benefited from a better play call, but we also all know DeMar DeRozan has a knack for making the big play. And, technically, he did that again last night by drawing the contact.
Could he have missed both free throws or made just one to send the game to OT? Absolutely. But he’s also an 88.8 percent free throw shooter and could have very well given the Bulls their sixth win in seven games. What makes this all the more painful is that this is now the *second* time that DeRozan wasn’t awarded free throws on his game-winning attempt this season. The first situation came back on Oct. 21 when DeRozan missed a 3-pointer down 102-100 to the Washington Wizards.
I know … refs suck.