NBA says Fisher fouled Barry
In a statement, the league says the Lakers' guard made contact with the Spurs' guard in the closing seconds of Game 4 and two free throws should have been awarded. Lakers won the game by two points.
Talk about a late whistle.
Twenty-four hours after he collided with the San Antonio Spurs' Brent Barry with Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on the line, the Lakers' Derek Fisher was called for a foul.
"With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul call should have been made," said a statement by NBA spokesman Tim Frank.
With the Spurs trailing by two, Barry, a 95% free-throw shooter in the regular season, would have been given a two-shot foul, giving the Spurs a shot at overtime in a game in which they never led.
Unfortunately for San Antonio, the admission does nothing more than set the record straight. The result will not change, the Spurs still trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series after walking off the AT&T Center court Tuesday night 93-91 losers.
Game 5 is tonight at Staples Center.
With just over two seconds to play, Barry had the ball and the game in his hands just beyond the three-point arc when he suddenly found Fisher in his face. Fisher made an ill-timed leap to block the potential game-winning shot, coming down on Barry's left side as the Spurs guard tried to step around Fisher for a better angle.
A hush settled over the crowd, the fans straining for the sound of a whistle that never came. Barry put up an awkward shot that bounced harmlessly to the right of the hoop, the next sound being a collective sigh by the Lakers.
Before the statement by the NBA late Wednesday, league spokesman Brian McIntyre said referees Joey Crawford, Joe Forte and Mark Wunderlich may have been following a league guideline in failing to make a call.
"There is an explanation in the rule book," said McIntyre, "that there are times during games when the degree of certainty necessary to determine a foul involving physical contact is higher. That comes during impact time when the intensity has risen, especially at the end of a game. In other words, if you're going to call something then, be certain."
Gregg Popovich, concluding his 12th season as the Spurs' head coach, has never heard of such an advisory in all his years of dealing with referees.
